


Sweetheart

by just_a_bitch



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Coach Negan (Walking Dead), F/M, Negan (Walking Dead) - Freeform, Negan (Walking Dead) Swears, Negan x Female Reader, Negan x Reader - Freeform, Neighbors, Nice Negan (Walking Dead), Protective Negan (Walking Dead), Smut, Strong Language, Sweet Negan (Walking Dead), Teacher Negan (Walking Dead), The Walking Dead (Show), The Walking Dead - Alternate Universe, The Walking Dead AU, before the apocalypse, femalereader, reader - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2020-08-10 05:35:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 37,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20130184
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_a_bitch/pseuds/just_a_bitch
Summary: ~strong language, mature content~Y/N is in a tough situation. Her boyfriend of five years has... changed. The man who used to be warm and caring is now cold and bitter. She always thought that Liam was the best option she had until she met her new neighbor, Negan. Because of how bad her relationship is with Liam, she figured it couldn’t get worse. Y/N was wrong, but thankfully, she has Negan by her side.NEGAN (TWD) AU - BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE





	1. Chapter 1

The first time you saw your insanely attractive neighbor, you embarrassed the hell out of yourself. You were sitting in the living room watching some show you had never seen before in your pajamas at the early hour of 4:00 in the morning. You couldn't sleep since your boyfriend was taking over the entire bed, so you tiredly made your way to the couch. The air was stale in your house since it was too cold to open the windows for some fresh air, making it almost hard to breathe.

Annoyed, you turned off the television, put on your thickest jacket, and walked out of the door to sit on your front steps. Almost automatically, you took a deep breath and grinned. The air wasn't as flat and old as the air in the house. Just a couple days before, your nose bled because of how dry the place was.

You didn't care about how crazy you looked sitting outside in the cold until you noticed your new neighbor's light was on in one of the first-floor windows. Curiosity roamed within your brain once you saw a tired-looking silhouette walking around in what seemed to be the kitchen.

You only heard vague comments about who was living next door. _Extremely handsome. Very kind. Super polite._ Nothing helped your imagination with who he truly was. You had always wanted a neighbor that would give you some extra flour, help with painting the walls, or even just someone to share a glass of lemonade with.

A sigh escaped your lips as you stared at the window, hoping for something to help you figure out what he looked like. All you could see was that he was quite tall and had bed head. You smiled to yourself until another silhouette appeared: a woman. You hadn't heard of a woman living with him. The girls in your neighborhood only spoke of the man.  
_Maybe they were just so ecstatic to have a hot neighbor, they forgot to mention the wife._

Before you could stand up, the front door opened and the woman exited the house. Your heart stopped when you saw him in his boxer shorts and a white t-shirt as he stood in the doorway. A quick yet awkward peck on the lips told you it was a little too stiff to be a long-term relationship. He was leaning on the doorway as the woman walked to a dark car parked at the end of his driveway. You weren't focused on the woman at this point. Why would you? There was an attractive man in his underpants standing right in front of you.

Right as you were about to stand up to escape your porch steps, the timed porch light turned on, showcasing the fact that you witnessed what had just happened. You could tell the man looked over at you and your heart was racing. Your body was frozen, and your cheeks reddened immediately. And guess what the man did?

He waved.

You never ran that fast in your life. Right when you entered your house, you locked the door, hurled your jacket onto the coat rack, and raced upstairs to your bed that was taken over by your boyfriend.

That same day, you met.

One of the moms in the neighborhood was holding a little get together with the other women, so of course, you came over with a platter of cookies that were actually made at a grocery store you forgot the name of. You had no time to actually prepare some cookies yourself because you had totally overlooked the whole needing-to-make-food thing in the suburbs. The crisp air made you hurry over and you knocked on the thick, wooden door and of course, the host of the party opened the door with a kind smile on her face.

"Y/N! Long-time no see," she jokingly said, since she saw you every day when the both of you exited your homes to brush off the snow from your cars. "How have you been?" The woman, Cindy, took your jacket and the plate you were holding so you could finally unwind in her home. You could hear laughter in the living room so you assumed it was just the women chattering away.

"I had the most uncomfortable experience this morning," you muttered, not wanting anyone else to hear your story. She furrowed her brows which told you to keep going. "I saw the new guy say goodbye to what seemed like a booty call." She gasped and both of you walked down the hall to the kitchen.

"No way," she scoffed as she unwrapped the saran wrap from the plate and set it on the counter with all the other treats.

"Yeah, and he saw me." An awkward look placed itself on Cindy's face and you raised a brow in confusion. "What?"

"I invited him over earlier since he's new, and well, he's here," she feigned a smile and you subconsciously sucked in a breath. "You don't get to be mad; you peeped." You knew she was right but dear god, if you weren't flustered, you didn't know what you were.

"I'll just head out then. No one saw me," you whispered and your heart sank when you heard a footstep behind you.

"You're wrong there, missy," a deep voice chuckled and your eyes popped out of your head in shock. Cindy just looked at the man behind you with a grin on her face.

"Negan," she said with a strange motherly tone as if she were surprised to see him and you turned around to see the man you saw earlier, but up close and personal. Sure, you had seen him far away and he was pretty attractive from afar, but this was completely different. You got to see everything. His hazel eyes, salt-and-pepper hair and scruff, freckles, and everything else his gorgeous face carried. And he was so much taller than you had anticipated. He towered over you like a skyscraper. You didn't even catch the fact that she just revealed his name to you.

The way his sweater clung to his torso made your heart race. He was handsome, tall, and the way he looked at you made you numb.

"Oh, um, you must be the new guy," you stiffly spoke, your voice small, unlike your personality. "I'm Y/N," you greeted, secretly pinching your hand which was behind your back. He gave a clever smirk and Cindy couldn't handle it anymore.

"I should check on the ladies," she mumbled and left the two of you alone.

"So, Y/N, what are you usually up to other than watching men at four in the morning?" The man's voice dripped with sarcasm and you had to focus on not passing out from humiliation. Your face made him chuckle and he shook his head. "I'm kidding."

"Oh, right," you faked a giggle and looked down at your feet. "I'm, uh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to stare, I was just getting some fresh air when I saw, you know." He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck as you spoke.

"Yeah," he slowly nodded, finally understanding why the hell you were even out there in the first place.

"Oh, I didn't catch your name," you admitted and he gave you a short yet adorable grin.

"Negan. So, Y/N, what do you do for a living?" The question made you cringe because the answer was kind of embarrassing.

"I used to be a baker, but since there's such a high demand for babysitters in the neighborhood, I just watch some of the kids," your voice was shaking. It was hard to tell people that you no longer had your dream job.

"There's no way that watching kids pays the bills of that mansion you've got."

"It's my boyfriend's house. I was living in a crappy apartment and he didn't like the guys in the building, so I moved in." There was something in his eyes that dimmed a bit at the mention of your boyfriend, but it only lasted a second.

"Yeah, when I found my new house I was living in a shitty condo with nosey ass neighbors. I'm a gym teacher, so I was trying to save up as much as fucking possible for a couple of years, and here I am." His build definitely did not resemble your old gym teachers'. He was actually fit, whereas they were not.

"What grade do you teach?" It was only now that you realized that both of you were just standing in the kitchen which made you feel a bit self-conscious, but if he didn't mind, you didn't. Negan sighed dramatically.

"The whole damn high school."

"Oof. That must be rough," you chuckled and he agreed. His features were mesmerizing when he laughed with you. The thought of your boyfriend wasn't even in your mind at that moment. "Teenagers can be entertaining, though."

"Yeah," he nodded with a nostalgic look on his face, "they really are fun." The way crinkles formed by his eyes when he smiled made you feel a bit heated. This man was doing something to you that no man had ever done before.

"You would have hated me in high school," you laughed and he raised a brow as he walked over to the counter just to lean on it. "I avoided gym as much as possible. My teachers didn't notice as long as I showed up for roll call and then asked if I could go to the restroom. I hid in the girl's locker room." He rolled his eyes with a small grin on his face.

"You wouldn't get away with that with me. I had a girl try to pull the same shit after she was gone for ten minutes. At first, I thought maybe, you know, some girl shit is going down. But ten damn minutes? I walked into the restroom to find her on her phone and sitting on the sinks." You nodded along and watched the way his eyes told the whole story. "She's a nice girl, but she's not the brightest." Giggling from the living room made you jump. You had totally forgotten where you were.

"Crap," you groaned.

"What?"

"I heard Lisa. She's the woman with the dark brown hair and smoker's breath," he nodded. "I had to give her kid a timeout, and he kept saying that she never gives timeouts and, of course, I didn't believe him. But then she came home and saw him sitting in the corner and she sent me out. She says that giving timeouts and spankings makes an angry child and a bad person in the long run."

"You're joking, right?" You shook your head. "Jesus Christ, I hate people like that."

"Me too," you groaned and Cindy walked in, which made you a bit annoyed.

"Why don't you both come in, have a seat?" She suggested, and you shook your head.

"Um, I should actually head home, I forgot I have to go get Bean groomed. Sorry," you lied so you could leave early and she nodded.

"Yeah, I actually have to get back home as well. The food was great," he faked a smile and you laughed to yourself at how bad it was.

"Oh, that's a shame," Cindy sighed. "Well, I hope to see you both soon. Stay warm." You nodded and walked down the hall to the coat rack.

"I have been here for thirty minutes and I am already exhausted." You laughed at his remark and picked up your coat.

"I actually don't have to get my dog groomed. I'm going to go home, watch some crappy shows, and bask in the glory of being home alone," you waited for him to put on his jacket before opening the door. It was snowing. "Shit," you muttered and concealed your chin into the top of your jacket. Both of you waddled onto the snow-covered sidewalk.

"You're lucky you live next door," Negan groaned and you smiled at the way his voice staggered.

"I'd offer for you to come in and have some coffee but you're a stranger," you teased and he grinned, clasping his hands together. "Unless you'd want to come in?"

"Sure," he nodded as you reached your house. You immediately ran up the porch steps and opened the door. Right when it opened, your pug ran to the door and jumped onto your legs.

"Wait, are you allergic to dogs?" He shook his head and you sighed in relief. Both of you walked in and smiled at the warmth of your house. "You can just set your jacket on the rack," you pointed and he nodded as you slipped off your boots. He noticed and slipped off his sneakers as well. "Okay, make yourself at home or whatever and I shall make us some coffee." You made your way into the kitchen and had to take a moment to realize you brought the hottest man on the block into your boyfriend's house.

"Your place is much nicer than mine," Negan shouted to you and you had to take a deep breath.

"Yeah? I bet you still have boxes to deal with," you shouted back, pouring the coffee grounds onto a filter and putting it in the coffee maker. It was as if you were on autopilot with how many times you relied on coffee to keep you going. You poured water into the top of it and pressed start. It wouldn't come out for a few more minutes. You hurried back and saw him looking at a picture that was resting on a side table. Your pug, Bean, was staring at him as if she was hypnotized. "I hate that photo," you sighed when you noticed which one it was.

"Why?"

"I was at my boyfriend's cabin and it was supposed to be, you know, a romantic getaway for his birthday. Lo and behold, his parents were there before us. He never told me it was a tradition to go up north and celebrate his birthday with his parents. The worst part was when he had to open his presents in front of them and mine may or may not have been what I was planning to wear that night." It was evident that Negan cringed because he set it down immediately.

"That sucks," he held back his laughter and turned to face you. "Tell me more about Mr. Right," he urged and sat on the back of the sofa.

"Yeah," you breathed. It had been a long while since you thought he was 'Mr. Right'. "His name is Liam, and he's almost never home. He works at this enormous corporation that I don't even know the name of at this point and he's always on business trips. This morning, you know, after our little sightseeing moment, he got up, gathered his shit in a suitcase and went off on another trip. Didn't even tell me when he'd be back." The tone of your voice told him too much about how you felt.

"So he's a business douche," he teased and you nodded.

"Total business douche." You had been unhappy for a while. He was super controlling with who you interacted with. If he saw Negan in the house, he would probably beat the shit out of the two of you. At first, you kind of liked having a guy get so protective, but now it was suffocating. "Sometimes I just want to dump him, but then where would I go, you know?" He nodded. A ding in the kitchen told you the coffee had begun pouring into the coffee pot. "Woah, that got really depressing really fast, I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine," Negan insisted. He liked listening to you. "My ex-fiancée lived with me in my old condo. I felt bad that she wouldn't have a place ready, but then I found out she had another guy on the side and she was going to move in with him. At that point, I was just pissed that I didn't see the signs that she was cheating on me. Then again, I didn't treat her the best either," he said as he intertwined both of his hands on top of his lap.

Another ding from the kitchen told you the coffee was ready to be poured. You signaled for him to come with you into the kitchen and you pulled open one of the cupboards. "Which cup do you want?" Your cupboard was full of mugs that you were given over the years for Christmas, birthdays, and parties in general.

"I don't really care," he furrowed his brows as he tried to hold back from saying how crazy you were to have so many. You just grabbed the closest one and set it down for him and grabbed your favorite mug of all: Happy Pug-o-ween! Your best friend from high school bought it for you right after you got Bean.

You took the coffee-filled pot and poured two cups worth of the steaming beverage. He quietly thanked you before blowing on the top of it and taking a sip. "Jeez, you're impatient."

"No, just cold," Negan retorted and you nodded, holding the hot mug to warm up your hands. "You like pugs, huh?" He commented on your cup and you nodded with the biggest, dorkiest smile you could muster.

"Do you have any pets?"

"No, but I used to have a St. Bernard," he reminisced and the expression on his face told you just how much he adored that dog. "Bubba."

"Like Forrest Gump?" You couldn't help but laugh at the sudden name. "I mean, I kind of like it, but it was very unexpected."

"It's not as weird as Bean. Who the hell names a dog Bean?"

"Hey, she's a little bean," you said and bent over to your puppy who was now resting by your feet.

"And it's a girl. A girl dog named Bean."

Negan continued mocking your dog's name for the next fifteen minutes when the both of you noticed the snow was really coming down. "Holy shit, I can't even see the sidewalk."

"I'll be fine," he shook his head and set his empty cup in the sink. "I actually should head home. I still have a lot to unpack." You nodded and followed him to the front door. He awkwardly stumbled a bit as he shoved his shoes and jacket on and he had no idea what to say to you except, "Thank you for the coffee."

"Yeah, anytime," you beamed. You didn't want him to go. His presence was kind and something about him seemed so warm. "Oh, I know we're neighbors so I don't have to do this, but I wanted to give you my phone number. You know, in case you need anything." The post-it in your hand seemed to weigh two tons when you handed it to him, but the grin on his face when he took it made your shoulders feel light. "Coffee, food, anything, you can call me and I'll have it ready," you couldn't help but blush a little bit when he folded it and pushed it into his jacket pocket.

"Oh, but then I'd end up calling every day," he teased and you quietly gulped when you realized you wanted him to call. "Okay, well, stay warm. I'll see you around," he smirked and you nodded. You reached for the door and he stepped out, giving you a tiny wave before you sealed the door.

Your heart was racing, but you loved it. Negan was so charming and kind. The fact that he got you to open up about your boyfriend that fast made you confused about yourself. You always thought you were a tough nut to crack, but now you knew that Negan was someone you couldn't trust yourself with. But that wouldn't stop you.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Negan remains on Y/N's mind as she wonders how the hell she's going to leave her boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one has a bunch of dialogue.  
oof im sorry  
i'm just trying to set everything up for the next few chapters that i've already thought through

It had been a week since you first met Negan and you could not stop thinking about that stupid smile of his. The worst part about knowing he was next door was that he was so close and yet he felt so far. Liam had come home after from that 'business trip' he forgot to mention that morning you went to Cindy's house. There was something off about the way he was acting at home, and you knew he was hiding some details from the trip.

He must have forgotten that you did the laundry in the house because he left a note in his suit jacket pocket that was clearly from a female 'friend.' It read, '_Hope we can spend more time talking business_,' and it smelled like a very familiar, flowery perfume. Almost exactly like the perfume he bought you for Christmas last month. As much as you wanted to be disappointed in him, you couldn't really do anything about it. If he knew you thought he was cheating, he could either deny it and keep you in the house, or admit it and kick you out. Either way, you would be stuck in a shitty situation, so you were going to wait it out and see what would happen.

Besides, it wasn't like you weren't doing your own version of cheating. You were thinking about the man next door. Sure, it wasn't anything sexual or graphic, but you were still pondering about another guy. Negan's presence was just so unexpectedly warm and soothing. You hadn't experienced such a refreshing character in a long time. It had been a long time since you had seen your parents as they moved to a different state and your best friend was too busy planning her wedding to see you. What also didn't help was that Liam was always gone at work or on trips. It was like you were a prisoner in your own home. Well, actually it wasn't even yours.

As usual, you spent your days watching reality shows and ate popcorn in clothes that had a few stains on them. Loneliness was too vague of a term to describe what you were experiencing, and you felt bad for feeling so blue since you had your dog to cuddle with all the time. Bean didn't mind sleeping all day, but you were growing tired of being tired. It also didn't help that you were the one who handed your number to Negan and you didn't get his in return, so you couldn't even call him if you wanted to.

It was about 11:30 at night and Liam wasn't even home yet. He didn't even bother to call you if he was going to come home late anymore. Personally, you didn't really mind having him stay out late; you would rather be alone. It was during a commercial break of your favorite show that you heard your cellphone ring and you groaned as you reached for it from the coffee table. You were expecting it to be Liam asking you to drive him home from a drunken meeting with a client, but when you saw an unfamiliar number calling, you weren't sure whether you should pick it up or not.

Usually, you would have declined the call, but something made you hit accept. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Negan. This is Y/N, right?" You gasped into the microphone as your heart stopped.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me, Y/N. Why are you calling so late?" His chuckle on the other end made you blush and you reached for the remote to turn the television off.

"I was just wondering what you were doing, you know, since all the lights are on at your place." You could sense the smile on his face and you stood up to look out of the window. There he was, his silhouette standing in the kitchen. He waved and you couldn't hold back from laughing.

"I may or may not be home alone. I get creeped out if the lights aren't on," he hummed as you spoke and you waved back at him. "But what about you? Why are you still up?" The two of you were just looking at each other through the window and you leaned against the pane.

"I was making my schedule for the week. Can't go into class not knowing what the hell we're going to be doing for an hour," he grinned. Although the two of you were neighbors, your houses were pretty far away from each other. You lived in a cul-de-sac of about five huge houses on the street and each dwelling was at least 100 ft away from each other, so you couldn't really see much. "So what have you been doing? You didn't really say."

"Well, since I don't have much else to do, I was watching some TV."

"Oh yeah? What kind?"

"Don't judge me," you sighed and you could see that he tilted his head. "I like really cheesy reality shows. You know the ones where it's obvious that the fights are scripted?" Negan's laughter on the other end forced you to laugh at yourself as well. "I told you not to judge," you groaned as you wandered away from the window and to the couch.

"You clearly judge yourself if you were that embarrassed to tell me." Damn, he had a point.

"What's so wrong about watching other people's drama?"

"I don't think that's the part that's wrong," he snorted and you whined dramatically.

"You know, I can always hang up the phone," you jokingly threatened and he sighed in response. "I'm just teasing, I won't," you reassured him. "Aren't you tired?"

"Not at all," he joyfully answered. You weren't sure if he was just lying to you to be polite, but you weren't about to ask. "So, why are you home alone? Isn't business douche there?"

"He's in town, but he just hasn't come home yet. I mean, he could be out trying to reel in some clients, but who knows," you shrugged and looked down at your feet. Negan didn't say anything and you weren't sure what to say either. "Anyways, it's not like I have enough energy to deal with him here, so thank god for whatever he's up to."

"Jesus, is he really that bad?"

"He can be frustrating. He has this fucked up mindset that makes him think that he's the provider so he can treat me however he wants. I didn't even want to move here in the first place," you sighed into the phone. "Ugh, I'm sorry. Talking about him makes me angry."

"Then fucking break up with him. Dump his sorry ass and get a place for yourself."

"Ha, in order for me to move to a new place, I would need a job."

"Then get one." You were silent for a moment. "Y/N?"

"Liam won't let me," you mumbled, embarrassed of your situation.

"You're joking, right?" Your silence told him enough. "Y/N, you need to get out of that place."

"You say it as if I don't know that already," you laughed in a sad tone and you could hear him sigh on the other end. "It's fine, I'll just stay here as long as I mentally and physically can and then I'll figure something out."

"I can see if the school needs an assistant of some sort," Negan kindly offered but you couldn't take him up on that offer.

"Negan, seriously, I'll figure something out on my own. It'll be fine. It'll all be fine," you repeated, trying to implant that in your brain as some sort of mantra. "You know, you are really good at prying shit out of me. I always thought I was hard to get to know, but you are just exposing me every time I open my damn mouth."

"I mean, I am a teacher. I'm supposed to be good at that," he chuckled. Before you could say something, you saw some headlights through the door's window that pulled into your driveway.

"Seems like business douche is home," you frowned.

"Seems like it," he sighed in response.

"It was nice talking to you. Goodnight, Negan," you grinned and stood up to wave at Negan one more time.

"Goodnight, Y/N."

You waited for him to hang up, and once he did you heard the engine of the car turn off. Bean ran to the door once she recognized the sound and pawed at the entrance until Liam walked through it. "Y/N? What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep," you simply stated and Liam nodded with a blank look on his face. You were disturbed by the fact that his face resembled how he usually looked after you and Liam had sex. Not only did his face give it away, but he also walked in with his hair disheveled and his tie all messed up.

"Oh," he muttered and set his briefcase on the stand by the door. "Well, I would stay up with you, but I am just so exhausted," he exaggerated and faked a yawn until you nodded, looking down at your phone as you thought of what Negan would have wanted you to do. Liam began going up the steps and loosening his tie, but you weren't going to join him. "Are you at least going to come upstairs?"

"At some point, but don't wait up," you monotonously replied. Rather than saying 'goodnight' first, you waited to see if he'd say it at all, and he didn't. That night was the first night you fully recognized how awful your relationship was.

* * *

It was around noon when you finally woke up and of course, you were all alone yet again. You had passed out on the sofa watching TV and you groaned in discomfort as you sat up. The damn couch was definitely not comfortable enough to sleep on, but you didn't want to go upstairs and sleep next to that pile of shit you called your boyfriend. 

Rather than sitting around in your own filth, you decided to shower and make yourself look decent, even if you didn't have any plans. Instead of the usual sweatshirt and sweatpants, you put on a soft, light pink sweater and black leggings. The outfit was just as cute as it was comfy. It was still cold out, and as much as you despised the cold weather, you loved the fact that it let you dress up all cozy-like. 

It was amazing to you that dressing up in something so simple could make you feel so much better about yourself. Wearing stained clothing was something you did way too much, and you were desperate for a change. You wondered if your friend, Alice, was too busy to answer the phone, but you were going to call anyways. After talking to Negan on the phone, you remembered how pleasant it was to chat with people. 

It took only one second for her to pick up. "Hey, Y/N, how have you been?" Her energetic voice was incredibly loud and forced you to turn your volume down on your phone. 

"Hi, I've been alright, and you? How is the planning going?"

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about that right now," she was silent for a moment and you knew what she was going to say next. "Why is planning a stupid wedding so goddamn complicated? You'd think that instead of parabolas and linear equations they'd teach us how to freaking multitask during real-life situations. Literally haven't looked at a single graph since we graduated college," she rambled and you had to contain your laughter. You had forgotten how chaotic Alice can be. "Anyways, tell me about your life. Are you still with Liam?"

"Why do you ask that every time I call?" You sat down on the sofa and Bean quickly followed suit.

"Because every time I pray that you tell me 'no'," she snarkily answered. "So, are you?"

"Yeah, I am," you breathed, and you heard her groan dramatically into the phone. "Alice, stop it."

"Oh come on. You of all people should be on my side."

"Trust me, I am. But I can't just leave. I don't have a plan B." Once you said that you, again, knew what she'd say next.

"You do know your parents would take you in, right?" Obviously, you knew that, but no one wants to live with their parents in their mid-twenties. It's embarrassing.

"I am not moving into my parents' house. Besides, then I'd be out of the state and we'd see each other even less than we do now. Do you really want that?" For once, Alice was speechless. She couldn't disagree with what you said. 

"God, I hate when you're right. Well, is there anything, I don't know, _positive_ going on in your life? And I swear to god, if you mention Bean-"

"I met this guy," you interrupted and in return, Alice squealed in excitement. "He moved into the house next door. You know, the one that was up for sale."

"What's his name? Is he cute?" Hearing Alice become so festive made you feel guilty. Although, as much as you disliked the thought of deceiving Liam, it wasn't like you were even in a relationship anyway.

"His name's Negan and yes, he's cute," you giggled in response. "He's an older guy, but he's super attractive. He's actually a gym teacher at our old high school."

"No way," she laughed. "Did you tell him how much you hate working out?"

"Even better, I told him about the times I would skip gym class," you chuckled. "Anyways, I met him last week, but I sorta made things awkward before he even knew my name."

"Dear god, what did you do, Y/N?"

"So, I was awake when it was still dark out, basically right before dawn. Liam took over the whole bed and I could barely breathe indoors with how dusty and dry the air was, so I sat on my porch steps."

"As one does," she encouraged.

"Yeah, so I was just looking at his house because I was wondering who he was. I had heard so many good things about him, especially about his looks. Then, next thing I know, he is dismissing a woman from his house while he's wearing some boxers." You had to keep yourself from nervous laughing as you recollected the previous week. "So before he sees me, I figure I should go inside and as I stand up, the fucking porch light kicked on."

"Oh my god, it was a fucking spotlight, huh?" You nodded even though she couldn't see you.

"Yep. Next thing I know, he's waving and I'm running in the house looking like a peeping Tom."

"Holy shit, the dude waved? Sounds like he's confident, huh?"

"I mean, yeah, but not in a douchey way."

"So nothing like Liam?" You sighed audibly. "Okay, okay, I will admit, that was a low blow. But seriously, Y/N, you should get to know this guy."

"We talked on the phone last night. It was only a couple minutes, but he actually called to check up on me since he saw the lights were on really late."

"I think he likes you."

"No, no, that's not possible. We've only spoken twice."

"So? _You_ like him," she argued and your heart stopped. She was right, you did like him already. But how could _he_ like _you_ already? He was funny, attractive, and smart and you, well, you were helpless. 

"I guess you're right," you admitted and she giggled on the other end.

"Now, we just have to find a way for you to get out of that house," she abruptly changed the subject and you were oddly happy to hear any other thing she could offer. "Wait, do you remember your mom's bakery downtown?"

"How could I forget it? I used to work there."

"Rhetorical. Anyways, your mom used to sleep up in the attic, remember? It was set up like a studio apartment and it even had that bathtub and toilet installed. I'm sure she would let you move in there for the time being. Oh my god, and you could work there again! Two for one deal, baby." For once, Alice came up with a genius idea.

"Holy shit, why didn't I think of that?"

"Because you are focused on other things. Anyways, you have to call Mom up and see what she'd say." Your stomach dropped.

"I'll see what I can do." Your response was rushed and soon you became quiet, but you hoped Alice wouldn't read your mind through the phone.

"Y/n," she sternly stated. "You have told your parents what's going on, right?" You were silent again. "Godammit, Y/N, I told you last time that you needed to contact your parents. It's like you _want_ to be stuck in that house."

"No, I don't," you began to tear up. Hearing Alice say that sucked the air right out of you. "You know I don't want this, right?"

"Honey, of course, I know, but in order to live your life freely, you have to start somewhere. Now, I'm going to hang up and you're going to call Mom up, okay?" 

"Mhm," you hummed into the phone. 

"Okay, love you turd," she muttered.

"Love you, too," you sighed and hung up. You stared at your screen, not knowing if you had the courage to do what Alice told you. When you were younger, your mom would make you promise that you would tell her if anything in your life went south. How were you supposed to tell her that you have been in a shitty relationship for the past five years? Obviously, she knew _of_ Liam, although she had never met him before since she and your father moved a couple of years ago. 

After a few moments of silence, you decided not to call. As you were about to put down your phone and reach for the remote, you got a text. 

**Negan**: _so how are you this fine ass afternoon?_

Reading such a simple text made you feel bittersweet.

**You**: _fine_

You sniffled as you watched the dots appear at the bottom of the screen.

**Negan**: _you sure?_

**You**: _not really haha but i'll be fine at some point_

**Negan**: _do you need me to come over?_

You began to panic after reading that text. Of course you needed him to come over, but you felt stupid after only having spoken to him twice. Each time you began to type 'yes,' you would delete it. You typed it in a few times until you saw another text come through.

**Negan**: _hello?_

**You**: _no, you don't need to come over. i just need to think abt a few things :))_

You weren't sure what to do at that point. Something inside you reminded you that if you were to move, you wouldn't be so close to Negan. Of course, you knew you were exaggerating the whole Negan situation, but there was something about him that you were hooked on. 

Rather than listening to your best friend's advice, you put the phone down and turned on the TV.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N decides to help Negan out without realizing that he's really helping her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof i hope this is good enough for now  
i've been getting ready for my first year of college (terrified)  
i swear this story gets better

Your phone had become so full of texts and phone calls ever since that night you spoke on the phone with Negan. The two of you had become so close but there was a fence called 'Liam' that you both were too scared to climb over. Negan would even call you while he was at work to make sure you didn't feel lonely. Sometimes you were able to hear him scream at his students and other times you heard his students scream at him. Either way, he kept you entertained even in your worst days.

It was a Friday afternoon, a couple of weeks after you first met, and you were home alone talking to Negan on the phone while he was at work. "So you're telling me that you believe Liam is cheating on you?" Negan's voice sounded confused yet intrigued which made you laugh as you attempted to imagine how his face looked.

"Yeah," you nodded as you watched some popcorn burst in the microwave. "He must've forgotten that I do the laundry and he left a damn note in one of his pockets." Before Negan could try to reassure you by arguing with what you said, you knew you had to speak before he would. "It was obviously written by a woman," you said and he audibly groaned on the other end.

"What did it say? I mean, some notes can be taken the wrong way," he muttered and you snorted.

"Said something about 'talking some more business' and it had perfume on it. There's no way that's _just_ a client or _just_ a coworker, you know?"

"I mean, yeah, the fucking perfume part is the cherry on top," he replied and you couldn't help but become bitter as you thought of the woman behind the note.

"Wanna know the best part?" Negan hummed in response. "When I smelled the card, I realized that it smells identical to the perfume he gave me for Christmas. _This_ fucking Christmas. He must have gotten a good ass deal, like, a 2-for-1 thing."

"Wow," Negan was clearly trying to hold back his laughter. You had come to learn that not only is he more vulgar than he lead on, but he also laughs a lot when you talk about your relationship. He had to explain to you that he wasn't laughing at you, but at the fact that Liam was so clueless in a 5-year relationship. There were some things that you thought were normal guy-things that Negan would quickly disprove with a booming laugh.

"Yeah, it doesn't feel good knowing that you got the same gift as the mistress. You'd think I'd get something better considering I live with the prick," you rolled your eyes as you pulled the popcorn out and shook the bag. "Anyways, I just felt the need to tell someone. I haven't told anyone about it," you admitted.

"Not even that girl you talk about all the damn time? Alex?"

"Alice, and no, I just know she'd panic and do something crazy."

"What about your parents?" The mention of your parents made you feel queasy and your heart stopped.

"Ugh, I don't want to think about this anymore," you weakly stated into the phone as you sat on the sofa, looking out of the window toward Negan's house. "Let's talk about you instead."

"Like what?" He puffed in response.

"I don't know, anything. Have you met any ladies yet?" The question you asked made you cringe a bit as you waited for an answer. You didn't want him to say yes.

"No, not yet." You softly sighed in relief. "You gotta remember, where I work, there are only married ladies," he replied and you beamed to yourself as you listened. "Besides, there ain't all that much I could do here to take a woman out."

"You're joking, right?" You scoffed and he grumpily hummed in response. "Negan, you must be kidding."

"Am I?" He laughed and your jaw dropped. "I mean, I cannot for the life of me think of anything to do for a lady."

"No, no, no, you're thinking all wrong. Stop thinking of what you can do _for_ someone and think of what you can do _with_ someone. Being on the receiving end of something isn't as fun as doing something with each other."

"I guess you're right," he chuckled. "I just can't think of any ideas, you know?"

"Well, personally I have always enjoyed just being around them, whether it's window-shopping or just talking. But if you feel the need to do something, there's always ice skating or bar hopping together. Even just having dinner is something, Negan," you laughed before you tossed a piece of popcorn in your mouth. "Women aren't that difficult."

"Yeah, well my last lady _was_ that difficult." Hearing Negan say that you knew he had some bad experiences so you decided to change the subject.

"Fine, then think as if you were still a teenager. It's a Saturday night and the girl you've been crushing on has said yes to going on a date. What would your first thought be?"

"Probably, '_holy fucking shit, she said yes_'," he chuckled into the phone and you groaned as you rolled your eyes impatiently. "Fine, fine, I would probably think of going to a movie and buying some dinner afterward."

"See? Now _that_ is a date idea. Not that hard. You just have to put yourself in different shoes sometimes to get the perfect idea."

"Yeah, but now is the hard part," he groaned.

"What do you mean?"

"Finding a single lady who has enough goddamn patience to deal with a piece of shit like me."

"Well if you're looking for a woman with that kind of tolerance, you're not going to find her any time soon," your teasing tone forced a booming laugh out of Negan and you couldn't help but laugh along with him. "How long have you been single now?" You were slowly trying to transition into the topic of the woman you saw him with that one morning.

"Ever since the middle of April," Negan sighed. "So a few months."

"Ah, I see," you clumsily uttered as you tried to think about what you wanted to ask. "So you don't know anyone who's single and ready to mingle?"

"Nope, not yet," he sighed. That response made you question if the woman on the porch was even single. Maybe he was having an affair? But you saw how heartbroken he was over his ex's affair...

"Hm," you replied as ten million thoughts raced in your head. No matter how it sounded in your head, you decided that you did not want to ruin the conversation by asking. Instead, you thought of something more enjoyable. "Well, this'll sound pointless, but if you want, we can go on a fake date so you can relearn a few things, you know, about taking a woman out."

"What? You can't be serious," he chuckled and you felt your cheeks redden in humiliation. You resented the idea of him laughing at the idea of taking you out.

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to help you out, never mind," you shook your head as you looked at the bag of popcorn in your lap.

"Well, when were you thinking?" He surprisingly asked and you had to keep from gasping too loud.

"I mean, tonight is Friday and Liam most likely won't be home until midnight. Unless you're busy tonight."

"If I were busy, would I be going on a fake fucking date? I don't think so." His vulgarity made you realize how serious he was and you kept yourself from jumping with joy.

"Okay, then it's settled," you grinned as you spoke into the phone and tossed some more popcorn in your mouth.

"I'd stop eating all that damn popcorn because you'll be eating a shit ton tonight."

"Fine, I'll put this away," you giggled until you thought of what you were going to wear. "Shit," you whispered.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just haven't gone out in a while and I don't know what to wear."

"Just wear something comfy. There's no point in wearing something uncomfortable, especially on a fake date," Negan said, but you wanted to remind him that he's a man. He could show up in jeans and a jacket, but you knew that if you wore the same thing, you wouldn't look as nice. Either way, you remembered you owned a thick, black sweater that paired nicely with some ripped jeans and a pair of black booties you owned, so you stopped panicking.

You took a deep breath in before saying goodbye to Negan. Not knowing what to do with the popcorn, you rolled the top up and clipped it shut before placing it in the cupboard. You figured it would disappear at some point. Afterward, you ran up the stairs and straight to your closet to make sure everything was ready. Negan said he'd text you after work what time he'd take you out. He didn't even tell you what kind of movie he was planning on taking you to, but you shrugged it off as you set your clothes on the bed.

Luckily, when the two of you hung up, he only had about an hour and a half left of work. The only thing that bothered you was the fact that you wanted to put the outfit on then and there so you could try and accessorize. Although it took everything in you to be patient, you waited. In fact, you waited until he texted you.

**Negan**: _hey there's a showing at 5. that ok?_

"Ugh," you groaned as you looked at the clock. It was only 3:30.

**You**: _yeah it's perfect :)_

You didn't like to lie but this case was so minor it didn't really matter.

**You**: _what movie are we seeing?_

He didn't respond right away so you figured he was driving back to his place. Sure enough, within a couple of minutes, you saw him pull into his driveway. Negan stepped out of his truck and looked down at his phone before looking up at your house. Luckily, he didn't see you peeking at him because you were essentially hiding behind your curtain.

**Negan**: _its a surprise. you will hate it ;)_

Reading his text made you laugh. It had been a long time since you had someone that you could text. Sure, you had Alice, but she was way too busy lately. It also didn't help that you had been avoiding her since you made an empty promise while on the phone. But you weren't about to focus on that. It was time to concentrate on yourself.

Although you knew it was early, you decided to put on your makeup first. Rather than going on the glamorous side, you decided to put on a low-key look with a rosy lip gloss. To be honest, you looked better than you expected. You also decided to put your hair up in a high ponytail with a couple of strands down to flatter the shape of your face. 

It was a simple look and yet it still took you about 40 minutes to perfect it and it was 4:30 when you finally finished putting your clothes on. Bean was curious as to what you were doing and she watched you get ready the whole time. Even when you wandered down the staircase, she was right beside you. 

Although you only had her for a couple of months, you noticed that she was severely clingy. It was rare for the two of you to be apart, and you weren't entirely sure how she was going to handle being away from you for the night. "Okay, Bean, I know you're going to hate this," you said as you sat down, patting the sofa cushion for her to sit with you. "But Mommy is going to be gone for a couple of hours. I know, I know, you're going to panic at first, but I know you. You pass out from excitement," you lectured and all Bean did in return was yawn in your face. "See? You're already tired." Before you could continue, you heard your phone vibrate. 

**Negan**: _ready?_

"Bean, just stay right here and please don't scratch the couch. I've already told you to stop that," you stood up and put on your jacket. 

**You**:_ yep :) i can walk over_

As you grabbed your purse, you heard what sounded like a car pull up in your driveway. Panicking at the thought of seeing Liam, you looked out the window and saw Negan in his pickup. Like a dork, he waved. "Wow," you laughed and grabbed your purse on your way out. "Buh-bye Beanie Baby," you cooed and shut the door before she could follow you. Negan quickly got out and opened the passenger door for you which made your cheeks flush. "Long drive?"

"Exhausted. You know, it barely took me five seconds? Fucking ridiculous," he teased and shut the door once you got in.

"My God, maybe I should contact the Homeowner's Association for you?" You smiled once he got in and he let out the warmest of laughs. "How was work?"

"Fine, as usual. Although I have to admit, the day felt even longer than normal after our conversation," he smirked as he pulled out of the driveway. 

"I thought I was the only one," you sighed as you looked out the window. "Listen, I don't like surprises," you opened, "so what the hell are we seeing?"

"Oh come on, who doesn't like surprises?"

"Uh, the woman who just told you that she doesn't," you facetiously shot back. "At least tell me what genre it is."

"Nope," he grinned. 

"Negan," you slowly yet sternly stated. "Did you already buy the tickets?" He casually nodded in response. "Damn," you sighed. As much as you wanted to be even a little bit frustrated with him, you couldn't.

"'Damn' what?"

"As much as you piss me off, I can't stay mad at you," you answered, crossing your arms like a child. Negan had already pissed you off a couple of times before. It was never anything major, obviously, but just the little things that force you to like him. For instance, one time you told Negan that you hadn't had dinner yet because you weren't sure when Liam would come home and you didn't want to make anything that he wasn't going to eat. What did Negan do? Without you knowing, Negan ordered you a pizza online and paid for it all the while talking to you on the phone. Of course, he knew what your favorite pizza place was and what to get. You appreciated the gesture, but you hated having people pay for you.

In this case, he purchased your ticket.

"I am un-hateable," he chuckled. "By the way, I don't believe in the whole 'buying shit at the theatre' thing," he explained. "I get my shit from the gas station down the street."

"Smart," you chipped in.

"Yeah, so I actually brought a blanket and we can stuff it up with contraband."

"How would we do that?" You laughed until he pointed at it. It was a fluffy blanket that was rolled up and tied. "Ah, I see," you giggled. "So, what's your favorite candy?"

"I happen to love me some Buncha Crunch," Negan smirked, quickly sneaking a peek at you. "And you?"

"Hmm, I have to say those Cookie Dough Bites," you answered and he simply nodded in acknowledgment. "Honestly, anything with chocolate will make me happy."

"Same here," he smiled as he pulled into the lot of the gas station. "Let's do some raiding, shall we?" You nodded with a grin and stepped out of the vehicle once he did. 

The two of you were like candy freaks inside of that gas station. Negan moved quickly once he saw the candy section and you were finally able to see him act like a child. You had prepared and grabbed a basket once you walked in, unlike Negan, and only a few moments later, it was full. The two of you made sure to get way too many cartons of your favorite sweets. "You think we're good on candy?" You giggled as you looked at the basket.

"Maybe on sweets, but what do you want to drink?" He asked, leaning on the shelf next to him. You looked up at him, not knowing what to say. "We don't want you becoming sick on that shit, now do we?"

"No, no we do not," you grinned as you walked past him and toward the refrigerated beverages. "I think I should be good with water," you replied as you grabbed the cheapest bottle.

"A bottle that tiny? Come on, get this one, it won't crinkle," he said as he grabbed a more expensive bottle. "I'll get one, too," he smiled and grabbed another before walking over to the cash register. You sighed as you put the first bottle back and tailgated him with the basket. He took the container from you and set it on the counter before he reached for his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. 

"Negan, let me," you shook your head as you pulled your purse off of your shoulder.

"No, sweetheart, I've got it," he quickly dismissed and you sighed, not even noticing the nickname he gave you.

"Fine, then I've got dinner," you beamed.

"That's cute," he smirked back as he handed the cash to the clerk.

The two of you walked out with a very full bag and you opened the backseat door so you could shove some boxes of candy into the blanket. "I don't think we can fit all of these in here."

"Sure we can," he said as he opened the other door to the back. He was standing across from you as you tried stuffing it some more. "Give me one," he motioned and you complied. Negan seemed to struggle as he tried to add the one box but failed. "Damn, I think you're right," he sighed. "I mean, I think we'll be good with the amount that we do have."

"Yeah, definitely," you chuckled. "I already put some in my purse along with the bottles, but that's pretty much all that I can hide."

"Look at you, a natural smuggler," he teased, causing your cheeks to burn. "Oh well, we can save the rest for next time."

"Next time?" You teasingly asked and he sighed with a grin.

"I mean, uh, if we ever want to do this again," he stumbled, forcing you to laugh. 

"Oh my god, you get flustered easily," you snorted.

"You're annoying," he dramatically groaned before shutting the door and climbing into the driver's seat. You followed suit and buckled yourself into the passenger seat. "We're going to be early," he said as he pulled out of the lot and headed toward the theatre.

"Did you order the seats online?" He nodded. "Well, at least we already have the seats picked out." 

"Yeah," he nodded. "I got us the center seats." 

"Wait, the ones with the recliners?" He nodded again. "Wow, you're really going all out."

"I sure am," he smirked.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Negan and Y/N talk about a few things during their fake date and Negan learns quite a bit about his next-door-neighbor.

It was obvious that Negan was trying his hardest. He bought the candy, the drinks, the tickets, and he even bought you a bucket of popcorn even though he hated buying movie theatre food. "You know you can stop buying me things," you whispered as you walked into the dim room looking for your seats. Negan let you lead him as he carried the blanket full of candy and drinks and you held the popcorn. "Right?"

"No, no," he muttered with his brows furrowed. "It's nothing." You reached your seats and raised a brow at him after he spoke. "What? Remember, I am treating you the same way I would treat a lady on a date," he replied as the two of you sat down. He moved in a way that was all too familiar and quickly unloaded the blanket onto the middle console that separated the two recliners. You had learned on a previous date with Liam that they could be raised, but you weren't about to say anything.

"I suppose you're right," you sighed in defeat and helped Negan place the bottles in the cup holders. "Here, you hold the popcorn," you ordered, forcing him to take hold of the bucket. Before Negan could struggle with the blanket, you decided to give it a try. You placed one half on Negan's lap and slid the other portion underneath the divider so you could use the other half.

"Do you have enough blanket?" He muttered, trying not to attract the attention of the only other person in the room who was seated in the back. You nodded and happily took the popcorn from Negan and tossing a few pieces in your mouth. "Good," he whispered again.

"You know, there's only one other guy in here, you don't have to be too quiet."

"Oh, I know, it's just a habit at this point," he chuckled. "So, did you see the title of the movie on the way in?" Your heart sank.

"No, you distracted me," you groaned. "Ugh, you didn't even let me look at the ticket."

"You are really in your own little world at all damn times, aren't you? Get your head out of your ass next time, Y/N," he snorted and you couldn't help but join his laughter.

"Come on," you sighed. You couldn't even tell what type of movie it was going to be yet because the commercials hadn't started yet. It was just the stupid movie trivia that the theatre always plays before the ads even start. Usually, you could tell by the theme of the commercials. "I have been so patient."

"You must be joking," Negan had to hold back from laughing too hard.

"Please," you begged, giving him your best puppy eyes. "I will do anything, just give me a hint," you implored until you saw the smirk on his face. "Oh god, what?"

"You said anything," he teased.

"I mean, not _anything_, obviously," you immediately took it back, but Negan shook his head. "Negan, I'm not playing."

"Wow, you really think I'd make you do anything bad? I am insulted," he dramatically frowned and you sighed, not knowing what to say.

"Well, what did you have in mind?" You were curious as to what he'd actually say. Any normal guy would make things uncomfortably sexual, so you had your guard up.

"If I give you a hint, you have to let me pay for dinner without bickering with me."

"Oh come on, it's a habitual thing. Like you with the whispering," you explained but he simply shook his head again. "Fine. Now give me a hint."

"It's not exactly a _new_ movie," he grinned and you tilted your head. "It's actually considered one of the classics, but it's not old either, this theatre is just doing a throwback special," he finally spoke and you couldn't help but furrow your brows in frustration.

"What the hell? That tells me nothing," you pouted and ate some more popcorn.

"I gave you a damn hint," Negan shrugged with a smile and you sighed.

"Give me another one," you muttered.

"What? No, that wasn't the deal."

"Fine, I'll do yet another one," you replied, somewhat annoyed with the situation.

"Hm, I can't think of anything for you to do."

"Negan, come on. Just think."

"How about you let me take you out more?" You thanked the lord that the lights were dimmed because your face turned red in an instant. "You're always stuck in that house."

"Oh, Negan, I don't know," you shrugged and looked down at the popcorn.

"At least one more time?" He gently nudged your arm with his and you gave in.

"Fine," you agreed, attempting to hide your joy. "Now give me a clue."

"It's one of your favorite movies," he slowly grinned and you gasped.

"What? You said I'd hate it." Negan chuckled and watched your face as you tried to think. "Oh god, I have so many. Is it _Dirty Dancing_?" Negan shook his head. "_Clueless_?" Shook his head again. "Am I close?"

"I mean, yeah, it's a stupid-ass rom-com," he snickered. "Oh come on, you talk about it all the fucking time."

"I talk about a lot of things," you laughed as you argued back. "_Say Anything_?"

"My God, woman, you like too many romance movies."

"Well I'm sorry, ladies like to dream. Hmm, is it _Pretty Woman_?" Negan was silent. "Oh my god, I adore this movie!" You squealed, causing Negan to look around the room. "Still no one else but that guy."

"Obviously I know that," he brushed off and grabbed one of the boxes of Buncha Crunch from the armrest.

"You know, for such an athletic guy, you really love your candy."

"What can I say? I've got a sweet tooth," he shrugged and popped a piece in his mouth. "So, why do you love this movie so much?"

"Wait, are you serious?" Negan gave a confused look. "Have you ever seen it before?"

"I've seen the beginning," he shrugged.

"How much of the beginning?"

"Just the part when the guy gets in the car after a boring-ass party," he quickly spoke and you had to keep from laughing too hard.

"Negan, that's the first five minutes. Trust me, this movie is amazing. And also, that guy's name is Edward and he's hot."

"Really? You think Richard Gere is hot?"

"No, no, no. _Edward_ is hot," you quickly clarified, eating some more popcorn.

"Richard Gere plays-"

"I know, and I'm saying Edward is the hot one. There's this mysterious vibe you get from his character and the more you see him, you recognize how sweet and generous he is. Just pay attention to the way he looks at Vivian."

"And Vivian is the hooker?"

"I mean, if you must put it that way, yes, she's the hooker. The movie's going to start soon," you grinned as the commercials began to play.

* * *

Once the movie finished, you looked over at Negan who was just staring at the screen. "So? Did you like it?" Negan looked over at you with a warm grin and nodded. "Now do you understand why I love it so much?" He nodded again. "Or were you just looking at Julia Roberts the whole time?"

"I mean, it's hard not to," he teased and you sighed, placing the garbage in the empty popcorn bucket. "I'm kidding, I liked it," he admitted and placed his hand on your arm to stop you from picking everything up. "I've got it," he smiled, taking everything from your hands to continue what you were doing.

"So, what was your favorite part?"

"Are you sure you want to ask a man that question? Because I think it's pretty obvious."

"Negan, come on," you begged, standing up and pulled the blanket from Negan. You hadn't noticed when the only other man had left, so it was just the two of you. "I liked the part when she went back into the store. You know, 'big mistake, huge,'" you beamed. "What an iconic moment. I've always wanted to do that."

"I could see you walking into a store and completely fucking up the line." The look you gave him made him laugh so loud, you were sure you'd get kicked out, even though the movie was over. "Anyways, I'm hungry, aren't you?" You couldn't help your jaw from dropping. Negan had eaten 80% of the popcorn and all of his candy; how the hell could he be hungry?

"Um, sure, what are you craving?" Negan shrugged and looked at you and you knew he hoped you would recommend something. "How about burgers?"

Both of you reached his car after you threw everything away and the two of you quickly hopped in, but you were shivering from how cold the inside of the car had gotten.

He instinctively turned the car on and blasted the heat, rubbing both of his palms together. Seeing him like that made you giggle. "Okay, so, where do you want to go for burgers? That diner by the mall, the bar down the street, or that fancy place by the highway?"

"You can't even memorize the names? There are two diners by the mall, an infinite amount of bars on this side of town, and, like, four fancy places by the highway. Jeez, Negan, do you even know _my_ name?" You couldn't help but tease him. He was just so unknowing.

"Um, yes?" You lightly hit his arm and he snorted at the interaction. "Anyway, where do you want to go?"

"Just drive and I'll tell you where to go."

You told him when to turn for the next five minutes and Negan tilted his head in surprise. It was a small bar that you would sneak into with a couple of friends when you were underage. They never carded anyone. "Really? I was just joking about going to a damn bar, I didn't think you'd actually want to go to one."

"This place has the best burgers. And they have cheap booze, too."

"Shit, I'm in." He kept a close eye on you as the both of you stepped into the building. There weren't a lot of people in there, which didn't shock you at all. It was never full, no matter what day or time it was. You lead him over to a booth and a woman quickly hurried over. You ordered a cute pink cocktail and he, of course, ordered a beer along with two burgers.

"I used to get drunk here with Alice because they never card anyone. I'm surprised it's still open, to be honest," you chuckled and Negan did the same, but it was obvious there was something on his mind. "You okay there?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," he shook his head. You could tell he wasn't telling the truth and you furrowed your brows in wonder. "I think I understand what this whole thing with Liam is all about."

"Oh?" You took a sip right when the drinks were delivered to your table. It was an unexpected change of topic, but you wanted to know what he meant, so you leaned forward and waited for him to speak.

"You want to be Vivian," he sadly smiled and you tilted your head, wondering where he was going with this. "Edward is this mysterious rich guy who turns into this smitten man who realizes what he deserves."

"Okay? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Well, how did you and Liam meet?"

"I know this will be surprising, but he was actually really sweet when we met. It was five years ago at a bar. Cheesy, I know," you spoke with nostalgia in your eyes as you pictured the memory. "I was with some friends and he was with his buddies and since we were the only groups of young people, we collided into one big group. While his friends were drunkenly hitting on my also drunk friends, he came over to me and we had a pleasant discussion about how he too was the designated driver."

"So, when you met he wasn't all business-y?"

"No, actually he had just gotten a job at Electrodel and he was a lame door-to-door salesman. He had glasses and a really cute tie that he wore with this suit that wasn't even tailored. I mean, I wasn't exactly the next best thing either. I was wearing a dress that was way too baggy on me and I didn't know how to do my makeup." Negan was leaning on the palm of his hand as you spoke, and it was obvious that he was listening to every word you said. "Anyways, why?"

"I think that you subconsciously want Liam to turn around like Edward."

"It's not subconscious, believe me," you murmured, taking another large sip from your drink. You were confident you'd have to order another one soon. "When I was younger, my mom and I would binge watch her favorite movies which just so happened to be rom-coms. I grew up craving that fairytale connection," you shrugged. "I mean, when I was ten I wasn't watching _Cinderella_, I was watching _Dirty Dancing_ or the _Wedding Singer_ and thinking '_that's going to be me someday_.'" Negan's eyes were on you as you stirred your drink with your straw, thinking about the days you'd rush home from school so you could watch something with Mom. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"No, no, keep going," he said with a tiny smile.

"Anyways, when I met Liam, he was a major dork and I fell in love with who he was. He was clumsy and didn't know when to shut up. But then he started getting really possessive once he got a promotion. At that point, I was living in a crummy apartment downtown and I managed my mom's bakery making decent money. After a few months, Liam began to climb up that damn corporate ladder with all the sales he was making and soon enough, he bought contacts, a fitted suit, and a house. He got pissed because one of my neighbors had asked me out and Liam told me I had to leave that place even though I had handled it. Next thing I know, I'm living with him. Then a few months after I moved in, he tells me, '_don't worry babe, I'm making all the money, you can stay at home_,'" you mimic his voice to try and keep yourself from tearing up. "Days became weeks, weeks became months, and months soon became years."

"My god, Y/N, I'm so sorry."

"No, don't be. Besides, I am fine. I have a dog and a television to keep me company."

"That's not living. You're young, you need to go out there, have some fucking fun, and stop worrying about Liam and his shitty ego."

"I know, but there's only so much I can do right now. I don't have any money and he would know if I got a job. I used all of my babysitting money to get a new winter jacket that _didn't_ have a massive hole in it, and I bought Bean two bags of food and a new harness. Plus school is in again, so there aren't many opportunities to babysit. I can't do shit."

"Is there anyone who can take you in?" Negan tilted his head and furrowed his brows which made you tear up. He was so invested in what was going on.

"My parents live across the country and Alice is a wreck right now over her wedding," you sniffled and wiped your tears before they fell. "I'll be fine," you lied and looked down at your hands. "Anyways, you're right. I want an Edward," you frowned and made sure to avoid his gaze until you could collect yourself. You knew that if you made eye contact with him, you would probably burst into tears. "I mean, who doesn't? I'm sure you could even use an Edward," you faked a smile and lightly kicked his foot with your own.

"Well, who wouldn't want someone who could buy them everything?" He laughed and you finally looked up at him with a genuine smile on your face. "Listen, if you ever need someplace to stay, even if it's just for a night, you're always welcome," he softly stated before sitting up straight and looking around the bar. "So, you said you'd sneak in here in high school?"

"Oh, yeah," you nodded and looked over at the bar. "I remember coming here, just not much after that." Negan laughed as you spoke and you glanced at his damn smile. How can such a charming guy be so kind to an ordinary woman like you?

"So, what else did you do in high school?"

"Honestly, nothing much, I was really lame. I wasn't a Mathlete or anything, but I was in stage crew for the musical in my last two years of high school," you picked at your nails from underneath the table after really thinking about what you did. You can't even really think of anything else. "Um, I was pretty good at drawing when I was younger, too." His focused smirk made your heart race and you took another sip from your drink. "Still hate working out, though."

"Oh come on." You shrugged with a sarcastic grin on your face which made him give you a small glare. "At some point, I'm going to make you go on a run with me."

"I seriously doubt it, but we'll see. Oh I think those are our burgers," you cheered and he looked over to see one of the biggest burgers he had ever seen. The waitress set them down, warning you and Negan that the plates were hot and to enjoy before strolling away. "Do you usually eat, I don't know, kale for dinner? You know, since you're so fit and all."

"Actually no, I like my burgers," he grinned as he watched you eat a couple of fries. Each time you ate one, you'd wince at how hot it was, but you kept going. "Jesus fucking Christ, Y/N, slow down. You're going to fucking hurt yourself."

"I don't care, it's good. Try one, I dare you." Negan rolled his eyes at how serious you were and took one off of his plate. It nearly burned him with how hot it was but he took a bite anyway. Sure enough, you were right.

"Okay, why haven't I heard of this damn place? This shit is good," he acknowledged and took another bite, burning his tongue, though he didn't mind.

Both of you took about an hour to finish up eating. Negan was shocked that you finished your whole plate whereas he had to get a to-go box for later. "Where to next?" Negan asked as the both of you buckled your seatbelts. It was only 8:30 in the evening and you wanted to keep going.

"I've never been to your place," you grinned.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N and Negan make it back to his place and learn a few things about each other.   
(NSFW) ;)

"My place? You sure?" Negan asked, looking at you with wide eyes.

"I mean, I was the one who said it, wasn't I?" You sarcastically replied. Your newfound confidence may or may not have been discovered by the two cocktails and a beer you had. "Besides, I can always walk home if you piss me off," you laughed and Negan chuckled at your behavior.

"If you say so," he shrugged and started the car before pulling out of the parking lot. "It's not as nice as your house," Negan nervously said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't exactly have a lot of furniture, you know, because half of it was my ex's."

"I'm sure it's fine, Negan. Who knew you'd get so flustered?" You teased, leaning on the middle console and staring out the window.

"Oh shut up," he laughed in response. "I just don't want you to have any expectations."

"You don't have to worry about anything. All that stuff in Liam's house is his. I don't care for any of it," you explained and it was evident that Negan had become relaxed at your words. "Besides, I thought we were friends," you continued, quietly observing Negan to see if he'd have a reaction to hearing what you said.

"I suppose you're right," he grinned, and you sighed to yourself. It was only a few minutes until Negan pulled into his driveway. "You will be my first guest," he smirked as he turned off the car and unbuckled his seatbelt, but you knew that was a lie.

"Oh come on, Negan," you blurted. "I mean, um, don't you remember that morning?" You were embarrassed by your approach until he grinned.

"I know, I was just waiting for you to bring that up," he chuckled.

"You suck," you giggled and unbuckled your seatbelt as he opened his door.

"Come on, let's go inside," Negan said, giving you a sweet smile. You nodded, hopped out of the truck, and followed him up the porch steps. Although you hated doing so, you looked over your shoulder and made sure Liam's car wasn't in the driveway. There was something about this that made you feel guilty, but you hadn't done anything wrong. "I can take your jacket," he offered as he opened the front door and you couldn't hide your smile.

Negan's home was so inviting and homey, and the kitchen was the first room you saw. It had dark wooden floors, stools for the kitchen island that had two small chandeliers over it, and a bulky fridge. However, his living room was even more charming. Right above his fireplace were dozens of pictures of who you assumed was his old dog Bubba, his parents, and close friends. He had two brown sofas facing each other and right above the fireplace was a television that was slightly bigger than the one you had. Everything screamed _Negan_.

"Wow," you mumbled as you took in everything around you. "I love it," you admitted as you took off your shoes and your jacket.

"I'll take that," he said as he took your denim jacket out of your hands and placed it on the coat rack by the door. "Do you want some wine?" You nodded as you walked further into the living room so you could look at the pictures some more. "A bunch of people in the neighborhood gave me a shit ton of alcohol as warming gifts," he laughed and you realized you never got him anything.

"Oh my god, I'm so rude," you gasped. Negan rolled his eyes as he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "Um, what is something that you didn't get? Hand towels? A soap dispenser?"

"No, no, don't worry about it. I don't need any more shit," he brushed you off and you sighed, looking back at the photos on the wall. That pooch was really cute, and the name Bubba actually fit him once you saw what he looked like.

There was something about the pictures that made you feel sorrowful when you saw his parents. It was an old photo, and you quietly questioned why it wasn't recent, even just by a couple of years. You continued centering in on the photos until his nearby voice made you jump.

"What're you looking at?" Negan asked, walking over to where you stood. You turned around and noticed he was carrying two glasses of white wine.

"Nothing," you muttered. Before you grabbed one of the glasses, you quickly reached up to fix the angle of his unbuttoned flannel and looked up at him with soft eyes. He glanced over your head to see what you were looking at and sighed. Before he could say something, you walked away from the photos. "So, we were talking about that early morning I first saw you, you know, when you were dismissing a woman from your house?"

The look in his eyes changed from delighted to embarrassed. You knew he'd answer you since he was the one to force you to mention it. After all, you were one of his friends. Hell, you were the closest friend he had for miles. He sat down on the closest sofa and patted the cushion next to him. You quickly sat down and watched him as he tried putting the words together.

"Just know that I wouldn't do this again, okay? It was stupid and I'm only telling you this because you deserve to know." You nodded. "I was, uh, very fucking lonely when I first moved in. I didn't know anyone from this damn neighborhood," he huffed, "so I called up an old, meaningless crush of mine in the middle of the fucking night. She had stopped working at the school because she accepted a better offer somewhere the fuck else," he quickly explained and looked at you with red cheeks. "She and I would flirt occasionally during lunch; although, we had never, you know, done anything before that. We had a few drinks and one thing lead to another until I realized what the hell I'd done. I mean, I had never just called up a woman with the intention of having sex until that stupid fucking night." Negan shook his head to himself and looked down at the glass in his hand. "I felt awful, but I also felt like shit when I sent her out."

"I hate being that person, but that's what I thought was going on. The way she kissed goodbye didn't seem sincere."

"Glad to know I'm so fucking readable," he groaned in discomfort and stared off into space.

"There's actually nothing to be ashamed of; at least, not with me," you mumbled and Negan furrowed his brows in perplexity. "Before Liam, I did the same thing," you slowly admitted and Negan watched you as you spoke. "It was just a couple days into summer break after I graduated high school. Secretly, I was terrified of going off to college with an undecided degree and no friends staying in the same town. It was really hard for me." At this point, you were messing with the hem of your sweater as you spoke. You hadn't told anyone this, not even your boyfriend. "So, I called up this one guy that had put his number in my phone at a party I went to the year before. I thought he was charming and funny, and he would be going to Boston anyway, so why not? I was hesitant at first, but then I decided not to care," you shrugged. The feeling of his eyes made you blush and you glanced up at him, to see a small, understanding smile.

"You don't seem like the type to ever be involved in a booty call, let alone being the caller," he taunted and you sighed in relief.

"Yeah, well, I've done a lot of shit that I normally wouldn't do," you smirked and Negan raised a brow.

"Oh?" That stupid curious smile of his suddenly appeared on his face and you knew what he was thinking. "Like what?"

"Well, what do you want to know?" You raised a brow and Negan shrugged as you took a sip of wine. "For starters, I may or may not have sent a celebrity a nude."

"Wait, what? You're just fucking with me," he rolled his eyes, but the look you gave him made him realize you were telling the truth. "Who?"

"I can't say," you giggled. "But, he was someone I had a crush on for a while and I got drunk one night and found his twitter and sent it. The next morning, I saw that he had seen it and all he sent was a thumbs up emoji."

"Please tell me it wasn't Richard Gere," he jokingly begged and you shook your head profusely.

"Oh, God, no," you laughed and hit Negan's shoulder. "Anyways, that's just another part of me."

"Holy hot damn, I did not expect that," he chuckled and you shrugged. "You just seem so innocent from the outside."

"Innocent? Really?" You were surprised to hear that. Obviously, you had been called sweet or charming in the past, but you never thought you seemed innocent. "Damn," you sighed in defeat.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. There's just something so disappointing about being called innocent."

"You do know that you just abandoned that title, right?" Negan was clearly curious as to what else you were hiding, but you weren't sure you'd give away all of your secrets in one night.

"What about you? What's another thing you've done that you wouldn't normally do?" Negan let out a dramatic breath and you rolled your eyes at his exaggerated reaction.

"Let's see," he started, looking ahead like a deer in headlights. "Oh, I slept with my teacher's daughter in high school and then it was later revealed to me that it was actually her first time."

"Wait, she didn't tell you that it was her first time?" You couldn't help but doubt her side of the story. "Usually girls are relatively open about that even when they don't want to be."

"That's what I fucking thought. I mean, when I look back on it, she seemed pretty damn nervous, but who isn't when it's someone new? I know I was nervous."

"You were probably nervous because she was your teacher's daughter," you added and he nodded with a toothy grin.

"Yeah, that too," he chuckled. "Thank god I was a fucking senior," he sighed before taking a sip from his wine glass. "She was a junior, but she was incredibly smart and was in all of my classes. Betsy Parker was her name," he smirked as he remembered her.

"What did she look like?"

"She was a brunette, pretty short, she had the sweetest damn voice. She actually sang at our church every Sunday but she wasn't all that innocent," he shook his head and you were surprised to hear that. Hearing that a choir singer wasn't all that pure was like hearing that the sky was green. "Betsy had done a whole lot with a couple of guys in her class, that's why I thought she was experienced, you know?"

"Well? What happened?" You were curious as to who high school Negan was like.

"It was a Thursday night, and I know this because every Thursday in the warmer months I had to take the truck out to get gas so my mom could take it out Friday morning to go to this farmer's house who would sell strawberries at a discount for the first five people who showed up. Sounds fucking stupid, I know, but we weren't exactly wealthy and we would take every damn discount we could get." Hearing Negan speak about his life made you sad. He was clearly embarrassed about something, but you didn't want him to feel that way when talking to you.

"Anyways, so I was at the gas station right before sundown when I saw Betsy get in a fight with one of the clerks. After I paid, I went over to her and she was sitting on a curb with this cute little pout on her face. She then tells me that the clerk was actually her shit cousin who had stolen her booze from under her bed. I told her my dad stored some in the back of the truck and we drove to a quarry, got drunk on some shitty ass beer and we fucked in the truck bed," he chuckled.

"Wow, that sounds like some Romeo and Juliet shit right there," you teased and he rolled his eyes. "I mean, there is something cute about that, though. I'm not sure which part is cute, but it's cute." You could feel the buzz of all the alcohol you had consumed grow with each sip you took, but that wasn't going to stop you. Besides, alcohol always gave you more confidence, and who says confidence is a bad thing?

"I guess," he shrugged. "Now that I think about it, that was the last week of school."

"Sounds like a good end of the school year if you ask me," you giggled and he joined you. "You know, I'm noticing a pattern," you began and he raised a brow. "So, you gave Betsy a few drinks and you ended up having sex, right?" He nodded. "And the meaningless booty call also had a few drinks and you ended up fucking too," you pointed out and he was still curious as to what you were getting at. "Well, two for two is okay, I guess, but you're really shooting your shot this time, huh," you grinned, taking another quick sip as he finally realized what you meant.

"Oh my god," he groaned and facepalmed as it clicked. "I don't even know what to fucking say." You couldn't keep yourself from laughing and you set the glass down on the coffee table.

"I mean, three _is_ much better than two, right?" Seeing Negan flustered gave you an odd confidence. Just knowing that you had the power to embarrass him made you feel sexy in a way. "Oh come on, Negan, I'm only teasing."

"Ugh, I know," he groaned, but it wasn't the same way he usually did when he was humiliated. There was something he was hiding.

"Talk to me, what're you thinking about?" You felt the air shift and you knew he felt it too because he set his glass down next to yours on the table.

"I can't," he shook his head and leaned his head against the cushion of the sofa, looking up at you. You were curled up sitting right next to him; your knee barely touching his thigh. "I should probably walk you home."

"No, I don't want to leave," you quietly protested. "I like spending time with you, Negan." He silently grinned and looked at you with tender eyes. "So, tell me what you're thinking."

He was still for a moment before looking at your lips and then back up at your eyes. "I was just thinking about how badly I wanted to kiss you." The butterflies in your stomach were fluttering like crazy, and you knew you looked like a damn fool with how red your cheeks became. "But, I know I-" Negan said until you disrupted him with a kiss. You silently blessed the alcohol as you pulled away and you weren't sure whether to look at him or not.

"Sorry," you muttered. "I was just thinking the same thing." It was only a couple seconds until he pulled you back in for another kiss. He was incredibly soft, which was not what you were expecting from him. Negan seemed like the kind of guy to, well, not be so gentle. You hated to admit it to yourself, but there were times when you would think of what he'd be like, and this was nothing like it, but you certainly weren't disappointed.

He slowly deepened the kiss and pulled you onto his lap, and you silently obeyed by mounting his hips. The grip he had on your neck and jaw made the interaction so much more erotic. Negan quickened the pace and you adjusted yourself, causing him to audibly groan. You instinctively pulled away to apologize, but you weren't able to speak when he began kissing your neck, causing you to moan in response. Negan slid his hands down to your back, keeping you steady as you rolled your head back to allow him more access.

You had never felt this sensation before. Liam never kissed you the way Negan was and he certainly never let you sit on his lap so he could suck on your neck. You hadn't even noticed when Negan traveled down your throat to your shoulder, lightly nibbling and licking your skin. He pulled away, causing you to pout until he pushed you back into the cushion and climbed over you.

His lips quickly met yours and you finally felt that passionate spark you had always dreamed of. Caught up in the moment, you pushed the flannel shirt off of his shoulders and lifted the bottom of his t-shirt, running your hands over his abdomen. "Should we go upstairs?" He asked with a smirk on his face and you enthusiastically nodded. Negan stood up and you joined him as the two of you made your way up the steps hand-in-hand.

Once you reached the top of the stairs, you finally felt your heart race more than before and yet you weren't exactly nervous. You were definitely more excited than nervous. Negan opened the door to his room and you drew his face down to yours, kissing him as he lead you over to the bed. The two of you chuckled once you fell back into the bed. You sat up and smirked, your elbows supporting you as Negan took off his t-shirt and bent down to kiss you some more.

"Lay back," he groaned into your lips and you nodded, obeying him. He knelt and pulled you by your legs closer to the edge of the mattress and you helped him in unbuttoning your jeans. You lifted your hips as he tugged them off and you were about to take off your panties until he stopped you. "Relax, sweetheart," he chuckled, setting a calm hand on your wrist. "Let me do it," he grinned and you rested your hands on your abdomen and watched him. His hands were clearly experienced and you knew you looked like an idiot as you watched his fingers tug at the sides of the fabric.

Seeing his eyes on you made you whimper and his movements were ridiculously slow, making you impatient. "Negan," you pouted, and he chuckled in response. He tugged the fabric from your hips and you sat up so you could observe him.

"You have no fucking idea how long I have been waiting to taste you," Negan's vulgarity made what was happening so much more real and before you even realized what he had just said, he slid his wide tongue over your pussy and sucked on your clit in such a slow yet exciting manner. Your head hit the mattress and it was hard for you not to be impatient as he french kissed your womanhood. Instinctively, your hands tangled themselves into his hair and you raised your hips to feel some more pressure, but he just held you down with one of his arms.

The sounds he was making had made what was happening so much more erotic, and you were making sounds you had never made before. From whimpers to loud moans, Negan was making you feel everything. You thought that you were feeling the best of it until you felt a finger slide in and your back arched as you reacted to the sensation. "You like that?" He cheekily asked and you nodded as you whined. You didn't even realize that in the middle of what was happening, you and Negan had grabbed each other's hand. You squeezed his palm as you finished and your hips twitched as he slid back up to you with the dirtiest grin on his face.

"I'm definitely coming over more often," you teased and Negan chuckled as he hovered over you. You pulled him in for a kiss and reached down to the button on his jeans as he snaked his hand up your sweater. The two of you proceeded to help each other out of your remaining clothes and soon enough, Negan was on top of you, kissing your neck as you stroked his member. "Are you ready?" You mumbled and Negan chuckled into your skin before pulling away and looking at you with warm eyes.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he teased before slowly pushing himself into you. The two of you gasped as he moved in and out of you, and you felt your cheeks flush even more as you looked down and watched. The feeling of his hips meeting yours made your stomach flutter and you groaned as he seemed to slow down some more.

"Negan, faster," you pouted and Negan chuckled.

"Are you sure?" The smirk on his face slightly worried you, but you nodded anyways. Negan's pace took a complete 180°, and you could hear the slaps of your skin colliding with his. You didn't even notice how hard you were scraping his back with your nails because of how intense it became.

"Fuck, Negan," you whimpered and you felt yourself finish, but Negan kept going and it was as if your orgasms were coming down like a ton of bricks, one after the other. You lifted your right leg and wrapped it around his hips which only maximized the sensation.

The grunts that were coming out of the both of you echoed on the walls and you could feel Negan's movements become clumsy. Each movement made you moan and you arched your back in response to the sensations which only made them even more intense. You quickly pulled him down and kissed him and soon enough, he finished and fell on top of you. The two of you were winded and your quick breaths began to slow down after a good minute.

"Wow," you sighed, causing Negan to lift his head and look at you with a smirk.

"Wow indeed," he chuckled and rolled over to the side of you.

"We really did that," you laughed as you stared at the ceiling. "I've never experienced anything like it," you admitted and Negan looked over at you so you did the same.

"What do you mean?" His voice was oddly gentle and you shrugged.

"There were just things that I've never done," you blushed and looked back up at the ceiling. "I've never had a guy, you know," you stuttered and covered your face with your hands. You knew how weird you looked to be so modest after partaking in such an intimate moment, however, there was something about Negan that still made your stomach flutter.

"Didn't you say you slept with that one fucking guy from that party?" Negan's curiosity had been ignited and he leaned on one elbow to look at you. You nodded and uncovered your face, but the color of your cheeks said it all.

"He never did that for me. It was kind of just a quick thing, you know? And then Liam just doesn't do that. He also would never let me sit on his lap like I did on the sofa." You were embarrassed, but Negan thought you were embarrassed for the wrong reasons. He was confused as to how you have been with such self-centered guys.

"Is it, like, a power thing for him or something?" You nodded and Negan groaned as he rolled his eyes. "You don't have to answer this, but have you guys done anything other than the typical Liam-on-top? Like something that's not missionary?"

"Um, not that I can think of, no," you looked away from him out of shame. You thought Negan wasn't going to be as intrigued by you now that he knew you weren't as adventurous as you had presented yourself to be. "I'm sorry."

"What the fuck are you apologizing for?" Negan's question made you confused. "Sweetheart, you don't have shit to be sorry for. If anything, I want to apologize to you. I'm sorry you are dating some dim-witted, idiotic fuckstick who can't take care of his fucking lady." Hearing Negan's creativity made you laugh and you turned on your side to face him. 

"I mean, our first time, he was really sweet and kept asking if I was okay," you admitted. "It wasn't even good, but we didn't care. Meanwhile, the last time we did anything, he was really rough and didn't ask if I was ready."

"Y/N," Negan frowned. "I am so fucking sorry," he sighed. You felt uneasy talking about Liam after what you had just done so you decided to change the subject. 

"I guess you've got three for three now," you laughed and Negan only gave you a small grin. "So, are you the type that falls asleep right after?"

"Not usually, no," he chuckled and you joined him. "You?"

"Only sometimes," you admitted. The two of you just looked at one another until you heard the familiar beep of a car. You looked out the nearest window and saw Liam walking into your house. "Shit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi,  
im so sorry for not updating sooner :(   
i was busy with my first couple weeks of college (and i've already changed my major lmfao)  
anyways, to try and make up for it, i wrote +1,100 extra words and a lil nsfw action (woohoo! finally!)  
thank you for reading! ILY GUYS!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Liam gets home, Y/N and Negan must think fast, and Negan gets to see what kind of an effect Liam has on Y/N.

****

"Shit," you gulped as you crawled off of Negan's bed and proceeded to pick up your clothes that were littering his bedroom floor. "Where's my bra?" You quickly questioned, peering under his bed as you pulled on your panties. Oddly enough, you were attempting to maintain your modesty by covering your breasts with your forearm, even though you knew there was no point.

"Calm down, Y/N, you're stepping on it," he stood up and pulled his boxers on as you rapidly moved around the room. "Y/N, wait," Negan kept trying to calm you down but you just weren't listening.

"Shit, shit, shit, he's going to know what I did," you panicked as tears began to form in your eyes and Negan simply hugged you from behind. "He knows what I look like after. Fuck, I'm so fucked," you began to hyperventilate and your throat felt like it was closing. "Oh my god, Negan, he is going to kill me," you muttered as you faced the window you had just looked out of.

"Y/N, come on, just take in a few breaths," he sternly but calmly said, and you obeyed. After a few moments, you nodded and Negan let go of you, and you turned to face him.

"Negan, what do I do?" He shrugged which made you feel even worse. It was like your stomach was in knots and you had no idea how to stop it. "I mean, it is only 9:20-ish, right? I mean, I could say I went over to one of the girl's houses and had some wine? That's not a lie, right?"

"I mean, I wouldn't consider myself one of the girls," he chuckled and you smacked his arm, causing him to sigh. "I'm sorry."

"This isn't funny," you nearly sobbed as you wiped your eyes with the back of your hand. It was after you wiped your tears away that you saw a black smudge on your skin, which made your heart sink. "Where's your bathroom? I need to see how I look," you finally pulled your sweater and jeans on and swiftly followed Negan to the nearest bathroom. "Oh, fuck," you gasped. Your hair was no longer in the favorable ponytail it was in just a few moments before. The mascara was smudged and your cheeks were so red, you weren't sure how you were going to pass any of this off as a girls night in. "I look like shit."

"Oh come on, Y/N. I'd say you look like you had a pretty great time," he chortled, and after this moment, you couldn't help but become bitter with Negan and his goddamn remarks.

"My god, Negan, wake the fuck up. I don't have my makeup wipes, my hairbrush, or any makeup to cover up how fucking flushed my face is. He's going to know what the fuck happened the second I walk in!" You raised your voice at Negan and surprisingly, he didn't even flinch. However, he did seem to change his demeanor and began trying to help you.

"Why don't you sit down and I'll get you everything, okay? You need a brush? Well, I have one, it's never been used," he coolly said as he opened one of the cabinets under the sink and pulled out a brush that still had the packaging. "Maybe you can try to take some of that black shit off with a washcloth?"

"I can't, it'll leave a stain."

"Y/N, just use it. It's not like it's my last damn washcloth," he chuckled as he dampened one of them and handed it to you, causing you to sigh. Now that he was finally being serious, you felt awful about your outburst. It was obvious he was just trying to help. "I seriously don't mind," he reassured again and handed you a clean washcloth from the bottom drawer. "Take your time. Besides, you don't have to get back immediately. It would seem weird if you arrived after he just got home." You nodded and took another deep breath.

"Thanks, and I'm sorry for shouting at you." Negan shook his head and leaned on the doorway.

"Don't worry about it," he chuckled. "I was being a prick."

"You were just trying to make me laugh."

"In the worst way possible," he smirked and you looked into the mirror as you gently rubbed your skin with the damp hand towel. It took a bit longer than if you had makeup wipes, but eventually, you got most of the mascara off your cheeks. "Why do you wear that stuff?"

"I don't know, it makes me feel pretty," you shrugged as you pulled the elastic out of your hair and began brushing it out. You knew that Negan was watching you, but you didn't realize how intently he was. "Sometimes I think makeup makes me feel more put together than I really am, you know?"

"Kind of, yeah. It's like how guys can feel like a million fucking bucks once they put on a new suit."

"I suppose," you nodded.

"Personally, though, I don't think you need makeup, but if you like it, to hell with what I think," he shrugged and you laughed. "You're fucking hot either way," he muttered as he stood behind you and nestled his face into the crook of your neck, gently brushing his lips against your skin.

"Wow, way to make something so sweet into something so crude," you teased and momentarily stopped brushing the tangles out of your hair to rest your head against his.

"I'm just being honest," he chuckled until the two of you heard a phone ding downstairs.

"Could you go see whose phone that is?" You asked as he pulled away and you finally started putting your hair back up. Negan nodded and disappeared for a few moments.

"It was yours, you got a text from business douche," he muttered and handed the phone over.

**Liam**: _where are you?_

"Shit," you groaned and began chewing your nail. "He'll probably be looking out the window until I get home."

**Liam**: _i've looked all over the house and you're not here. where are you._

"Tell him you're at my house."

"Are you fucking insane? He'll kill me if he knows I'm at a guy's house. Especially if we're alone." Negan shrugged and you furrowed your brows at his thought-process or lack thereof.

"Not if I'm interested in making a purchase at Electrodel. It's a computer company, right?"

"I mean, yeah, but he'd still question everything."

"If you just tell him I'm considering buying one of his shitty products, he'll probably be busy thinking about his commission. Just say that we started talking when you were out walking Bean and I just got home from work. I asked about your boyfriend and then you decided to come over to convince me to buy something from him so he could get enough money to take you on a vacation." You were in shock.

"This is incredibly well thought out, how long have you been sitting on this?"

"That's beside the point. Just tell him you're at my house and you didn't realize how late it got because you were busy talking about Liam and his company." You weren't sure if he'd buy it, but you knew Liam would be looking out the window like crazy until you got home. Either way, you didn't have another plan, so you decided to listen to Negan.

**You**: _i'm at the new guy's house. he is thinking about buying one of your computers_

"My god, Y/N, you're shaking," Negan frowned and you only realized he was right after he pointed it out. "Come here," he sighed as he pulled you in for a hug. "If he lays a fucking finger on you, call me and I'll kill him." You nodded and squeezed him back until you heard your phone ding in your hand. The two of you pulled away from one another and glanced at the screen.

**Liam**: _i'm coming over_

"Get dressed, now," you gasped and he quickly ran into his room to put on whatever clothes were on his floor. Rather than waiting, you ran down the stairs and put your jacket on along with your shoes and purse so Liam wouldn't see that you've taken anything off. You then proceeded to run over to the coffee table, took the wine glasses and dumped the alcohol in the kitchen sink.

Right as Negan was buttoning his jeans and was running down the steps, you heard a knock on the door. The two of you looked at each other with wide eyes, but Negan took the initiative and opened the door. "Hey, Liam, right?"

"Yeah," you could hear Liam's stern voice, but you couldn't see him because the door was blocking his silhouette. "Where's Y/N?" He forcibly marched inside and saw you standing behind the kitchen island. "Ah, there you are," he squinted his eyes at you. "So, what's this I hear about you wanting to buy yourself an Electrodel computer?" You could tell Liam was a bit flustered and that he was not at all on his A-game.

"Uh, I mean, I was considering it, yeah. But, I think it's getting late and I'll just decide in the morning."

"You certainly didn't have an issue with talking to my girlfriend about it at this hour," Liam hissed. You could tell Negan wasn't sure what to say, and to top it all off, Liam looked over at the living room and there was Negan's flannel shirt lying on the floor. "What's that?" Liam asked, looking up at Negan. You couldn't help but silently giggle at the height difference between them. Negan had about five inches on Liam, and that could be said for another trait as well.

"My shirt," Negan admitted, "I took it off and set it on the couch. It must have fallen," he shrugged. His performance was believable and you sighed in relief.

"I don't know if you two are just dumb, or if you think _I'm_ that stupid, but there's no way in hell I'm buying that," Liam scolded and you froze. Negan instinctively threw his hands in the air as if he were surrendering himself.

"Listen, dude, I don't know what the fuck your problem is, but nothing happened." Hearing Negan lie made you even more nervous and you began picking at your nails.

"Yeah, Liam, nothing happened," you shook your head and gulped as Liam looked at you with distrust in his eyes. Once you spoke, you knew you had to keep going so you quickly took a breath in and began to speak. "I was walking Bean and he pulled into his driveway and he simply asked about you because Cindy told him where you work. That's it." You were surprised at how easy it was to lie to Liam's face. "Let's go," you sighed, walking past the two of them and on the porch. "Thanks, Negan, it was nice to meet you," you fibbed and glared at Liam. "Come on, honey." You grew nauseated after you called him that.

Liam appeared to buy into what you and Negan were saying and nodded before walking out of the house with a confused look on his face. "Sorry about that, have a good night," Liam apologized through his teeth and Negan nodded before giving a short wave and then shutting his door. "When did you become so invested in making sales for me?" You could sense Liam's insecurity increasing by the second.

"I'm not, he just asked about you and I told him everything I knew. After all, I have been hearing about the company for five years now." Every word that came out of your mouth made you feel guilty. It was easy uttering the lies, but the feeling of bricks on your chest grew as you realized what you were doing.

"Why are you dressed like this?" Liam questioned in a rude tone and you frowned as you glanced down at your outfit.

"Like what?" You asked and Liam scoffed as the two of you stepped up the driveway.

"Like someone who wants to impress some guy while their boyfriend is off at work." The comment made your heart stop since he wasn't wrong about the assumption, but you couldn't let him continue having those thoughts.

"I'm wearing a sweater and jeans," you innocently pointed out and Liam shook his head.

"It's better than what you've been wearing for the past couple of years."

"I was supposed to go to dinner at Cindy's house but she canceled last minute," you nearly stuttered. "She and I made plans this morning, but something about her son came up. That's it."

"So if I call her and ask, she'll verify that?"

"I don't see why she wouldn't," you gulped and opened the door. Bean pawed at your leg the moment you entered the house and Liam quickly shut the door behind him as you took your jacket off and set it on the nearby side table. "I'm going to go ahead and shower," you mumbled and Liam glared some more.

"Why's that?"

"Because I fucking feel like it," you spat, irritated by the interrogation.

"Excuse me?" Liam growled and gradually made his way toward you. "You have no right to speak to me like that in my own fucking house, understand that?" Scared of what he'd do next, you simply nodded and looked at your feet. "Apologize."

"I'm sorry," you sighed until you felt Liam's fingers under your chin and he roughly yanked your face up to look at him.

"Louder."

"I'm sorry," you said, looking at the wall behind him with tears forming in your eyes.

"Look at me, make me fucking believe you."

"I'm sorry!" You shouted and stared into the void where his eyes should be. "I am sorry," you repeated. "I shouldn't have been snippy with you."

"There we go," he muttered and released your chin. "You may go," he gestured for you to leave and you nodded before you quickly made your way up the steps. Once you reached the master bathroom, you shut the door and locked it before quickly pulling up Cindy's text messages.

**You**: _if liam asks, you and i had dinner plans for tonight that you had to cancel_

You sighed once the message sent and you were about to set your phone down until you heard it ding. Knowing Cindy, she wouldn't respond until the morning, so you knew it wasn't her.

**Negan**: _i see you in the bathroom. everything okay?_

You looked out the window to see Negan peering at you from his bedroom. He waved and you grinned to yourself as you waved back. 

**You**: _i'm fine. he's still angry._

As you waited for his next text, you set your phone to vibrate rather than ding each time. Liam was most likely going to listen to what you were doing through the door so you decided to walk over and turn the shower on.

**Negan**:_ did he do anything?_

**You**: _no_

You somewhat lied. Negan was the type of guy who would unquestionably flip shit knowing that Liam spoke to you the way he did just moments before, so you weren't about to make Negan worry even more than he needed to.

**You**:_ i need to shower really quick_

You chuckled to yourself as you thought of something else to say.

**You**:_ gotta wash you out of me ;)_

Waiting for his text, you peeked out the window again and you witnessed him laughing at your message.

**Negan**: _fucking christ _

**You**: _ill text you once i'm done_

Negan gave you the thumbs up through the window and you grinned before setting the phone down and walking back over to the shower. It was odd taking your clothes off. Knowing they were just on Negan's floor made you blush, and when you finally took your panties off, you could see what was left from your venture with Negan. Knowing Liam would try his hardest to find any proof of anything against you, you folded them up and placed them in your makeup drawer in case Liam snooped around as you showered. You had locked the door, but Liam had keys for every room in the house. There was no point for you to even lock any door, but if it saved you a few seconds of privacy, you'd do it.

Stepping into the hot water instantly soothed your stiff shoulders. It was once you stepped inside that you began to cry. Of course, you did your best to stay as quiet as possible, but a few sobs slipped through the cracks. Just thinking about what had just happened overwhelmed you to the point of an adrenaline rush. You replayed each moment of what had happened between you and Negan and it just went on a loop in your head. The softness of his lips, the force in his hips, and the compassion in his eyes. He was nothing like Liam. Every new thing you noticed about Negan was a new thing you wished for Liam. Oh what you would do to completely erase Liam from your life, but it wasn't that simple. Now that you had been preventing yourself from talking to Alice, you had one person less to vent to, and you didn't exactly have a bunch of people to talk to in the first place. As much as you appreciated Negan's willingness to listen, you didn't want to _only_ talk about Liam with him. No one desires the woman who bitches about her ex - or, in this case, _current_ \- boyfriend.

You had been in the shower for a few minutes and after scrubbing yourself from head to toe, you turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Once you dried yourself off and wrapped yourself in a towel, you decided to text Negan back.

**You**: _done :)_

**Negan**: _getting ready for bed?_

You looked out the window and saw Negan glance up at you and before you would leave the bathroom, you decided to quickly flash what was beneath your towel. He grinned and you waved before opening the door and stepping into the master bedroom. Liam was in the middle of pulling some pajama pants on when you saw him and you looked away as you wandered into the walk-in closet. Mutely, the two of you got dressed in your pajamas and once you were done, you saw him climbing into bed. You were too appalled by him, so you clutched a pillow and took it with you as you went downstairs to sleep on the sofa.

**You**:_ technically, not 'bed'_

**Negan**:_ ?_

**You**: _i'm sleeping on the couch tonight _

**Negan**: _is that fucker making you?_

**You**: _no i decided to_

You sighed as you grabbed a throw blanket from the bottom of a side table and tossed the pillow on the sofa. Bean was excited and jumped up on the cushion of the couch to sit with you. She plopped down by your butt and you plainly gazed at your phone with heavy eyes, waiting for a response.

**Negan**: _did something else happen?_

**You**: _no_

**Negan**: _promise? he didn't touch you?_

**You**: _he didn't touch me_

Technically, he did, but it wasn't enough to warrant Negan's rage.

**You**: _tomorrow's saturday but usually liam is busy with clients on the weekend anyway. i'll call you when i can, okay?_

**Negan**: _alright sweetheart_

**Negan**:_ sweet dreams_

**You**: _sweet dreams :)_

And with that, you finally shut your eyes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N finally tells someone about her affair with Negan before making a terrifying discovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm a terrible human being.  
if anyone is even reading this chapter, i love you so much !  
now that coronacation is a thing, i finally had time to write something (yes i know it's short but it's something)  
i love yall and im sooooo sorry for not posting.  
i transferred schools so shit got stressful  
but that's no excuse! im sorry :(

It had been a couple of days since you last saw Negan. The day after you were with him, Liam lingered at the house even though he would have usually been out with a 'client,' or so he'd say. Of course, Negan would continue to text you and ask how you were doing. He had repeatedly expressed how worried he was for you after everything that had happened. You kept reassuring him and telling him that Liam wouldn't hurt you. Well, that is, until you stopped texting him back. You noticed Liam would watch you more if you were on your phone for longer than a second. Even though you knew you were being a bitch for not explaining this to Negan, you figured you needed to distance yourself from him in case Liam were to snoop some more.

Liam was getting ready for a last-minute business trip on a Tuesday morning. You had been used to these days: Liam wakes up, gets dressed, makes coffee, and leaves all without speaking with you. That's why this morning was unusual. You were sitting on the sofa with the television on at a low volume while he finished pouring coffee into his thermos. "On my way out. I should be back in a couple of days," he dumbly announced and you sighed to yourself, not really paying him much attention. "Text me if you go anywhere," Liam monotonously ordered as he grabbed his suitcase and you quietly nodded as you looked through an old catalog.

"Sure thing," you mumbled and at that moment he did something he hadn't done for a long time: he kissed the top of your head.

"See you later," he swiftly replied and you turned to look at him but he had already left through the front door. This simple gesture left you perplexed and you couldn't seem to stop furrowing your brows in confusion. The past weekend was one of the most uncomfortable in your entire relationship because he didn't even make eye contact with you. Hell, you had been sleeping on the sofa since Friday night.

As much as you wanted to text Alice about it, you still didn't want her to be angry with you because you still hadn't listened to her. Obviously you knew that you should call your mom and tell her everything, but something inside of you refused to do so. Was it embarrassment? Shame? Or was it just that you were in denial that the relationship was troubled enough to tell your mother about? Either way, you couldn't do it.

Instead, you texted Cindy.

**You**: _good morning :)_

Since she was usually getting ready for the day at this point, you figured she wouldn't answer immediately.

**Cindy**: _good morning kiddo! how are ya?_

Her instant reply caught you off guard, but you let out a sigh of relief. Since your mom was out of state, Cindy promptly played a maternal role over the course of time. However, you felt more comfortable confiding in her regarding your relationship with Liam, especially because she knew him. The two of you could tell each other a variety of things; from baking advice to relationship tips, both of you could pretty much talk about anything.

**You**:_ i'm doing alright. do you think i could come over?? i can wait if you're busy_

There was a slight pause, but you instantly saw the three dots pop up on your screen.

**Cindy**: _are you kidding? get your butt over here! lol!_

Her words made you chuckle to yourself and you simply pulled your shoes and your jacket on, not caring about your pajamas or bed head. "I'll be right back, Bean," you whispered to her as she sat on her bed next to the door. "Love you," you muttered and walked out. Instinctively, you looked over at Negan's house, which had the kitchen light on, but you didn't see anything, so you shook your head and walked over to Cindy's.

Just as you walked up the porch steps, the door opened and she had the biggest smile on her face. "Hey, missy! Get on in here, it's still chilly out," she shouted with her arms wide open. You grinned as you strolled in after giving her a warm hug and she made sure to take your jacket as you kicked off your shoes. "Do you want some tea? Coffee? You look like you need a pick-me-up."

"Coffee's fine," you tiredly sighed and she nodded, making her way to the kitchen where you met Negan. You followed her and silently resented the way she could keep the whole house spotless at all times. "How have you been?"

"Worried sick since you asked me to cover for you. What's going on?" She asked as she poured you some coffee into the same mug you usually drink out of when you're at Cindy's.

"Thank you," you muttered as she pushed the cup towards you. "Yeah, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," you began. "I just don't want you to get mad at me." The way her eyebrow went up made your heart race and you knew she needed to know.

"Missy, you know that I care about you just as much as my own kids, and I don't want my children to be hesitant talking to me." Cindy's reassurance made you feel better and you perched up, eager to speak.

"As you know, Negan and I have been talking."

"Yeah, you've been talking since that morning," she joined. The more you got to know Cindy, you noticed she liked to chime in. This habit of hers didn't bother you, but sometimes you wished she paid more attention to what you said rather than her thinking of a response.

"Well, I decided to help him out. He's become a good friend with how often we talk on the phone and, you see, he's been struggling to get out there and meet some ladies."

"Negan?" You nodded. "I'd imagine it would be easy for him," she chuckled, but you shrugged it off.

"So we went out to see a movie together. I figured he could see how easy it is to have a great time, you know? And he wanted me to get out of the house with Liam gone all the time, so it was the perfect plan."

"Hold on, so you two went on a date?" Cindy smirked and you felt your cheeks burn at her question.

"A fake date. A _practice_ date, so he could get back on his feet after his ex-fiancée."

"Hmm. Sounds risky," she muttered and your heart sank.

"And here is where I get nervous," you sighed, looking down at your mug full of black coffee. She quickly took one of your hands into her own and gave you a worried look.

"Did he do something to you? Because I will be all over him like stink on a skunk," she quickly said, her voice getting louder with each syllable. Sometimes you forgot that Cindy's husband was from the South and that some of his sayings really rubbed off on her. However, you also knew that sometimes she'd just say something because she had finally learned the meaning of it.

"No, no, that won't be necessary," you held back a chuckle and looked up at her. "Because it takes two to tango." Cindy's jaw dropped in the blink of an eye and she quickly shut it when she noticed it was wide open.

"Wait, you're telling me..."

"Yeah, we slept together." At first, you expected her to talk to you about infidelity and how you're living under another man's roof, but what she said next shocked you.

"How good was he?" Her simple question was shocking to you, to say the least. As a result, you began nervous laughing and she chuckled a bit before taking a sip from her own mug. "So?"

"Let's just say he's a gentleman," you flushed. Her giggles made your stomach fill with butterflies as you recalled that night. "I didn't realize how inexperienced I am until that night, though."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't want to be too graphic," you hesitated, "but he made sure I was ready if you catch my drift."

"He went down on you? Is that what you're trying to say?" Her bluntness made you choke on your coffee and you couldn't stop coughing. "Oh, honey, you shouldn't be so surprised," Cindy laughed as you tried to regain your composure but her teasing only made it more difficult.

"I don't even know what to say," you gulped with bright red cheeks and she rolled her eyes.

"I have children, you know. Kids don't appear like the Bible says they do."

"I know," you chuckled in embarrassment. "It's just that, you're like a mom to me, so hearing that from you just gave me a small heart attack, that's all."

"Anyways, so he was very caring, is what I'm understanding." You nodded and took another cautious sip of your coffee. "Does Liam ever do that for you? Make sure you're comfortable?"

"No, not really. I mean, we haven't slept together for a while now."

"Well, was there anything else Negan did differently?" You nodded, and you weren't sure when to stop.

"Oh yeah. Everything. I mean, he kind of let me take charge a couple of times. I think Liam is just so insecure compared to Negan, you know? For instance, when Liam and I used to kiss, he would never pull me onto his lap. He also never really let me kiss him first. It's always been on his terms."

"Honey, how do you stay in a relationship like that?"

"That's the thing, though!" You unexpectedly raised your voice. "I never truly noticed these things until Negan."

"Yeah, well I never understood why you stayed with Liam, to begin with."

"I don't think it's going to last much longer. I'm pretty sure he's cheating, anyways."

"He's what?" Cindy gave you a look that you wished you hadn't seen. The pure rage in her eyes made you feel nauseous.

"I didn't tell you?" She shook her head. "I found a note in one of his suit pockets and it smelled just like the fragrance he had bought me for Christmas."

"What did it say?"

"I don't remember it verbatim, but it was something like 'we should talk more business some time,' and the handwriting was clearly a woman's. I really don't think it was an innocent note either. It was definitely written by someone he's involved with."

"Hm, sounds questionable. Have you confronted Liam about it?"

"I mean, I wanted to before this whole thing unfolded. But, now I don't think I can for a while."

"Why?"

"Oh, well, Liam came home while I was still at Negan's that night. Like an idiot, I listened to Negan and told Liam part of the truth and said I was at his house."

"In what world is that the smart thing to do?"

"Liam would have been surveilling the neighborhood until I turned up. Anyways, now Liam thinks I'm cheating. I told him that the reason I was dressed up was that you and I were supposed to have dinner together but you had to cancel."

"I mean, is he wrong with his assumption, though?" 

"No, and that's the worst part. Actually, no, that's not the worst part."

"What is?"

"The fact that I want to be with Negan," you sighed. At this moment, you felt defeated. There was really nothing you could do. If you were to dump Liam, you would have nothing. "This whole situation just sucks. Especially since I kind of ghosted Negan."

"I'm going to pretend to know what the hell that means."

"It pretty much means to leave someone on read; to ignore them," you cringed as you explained what it meant. Not because of how badly you described it, but because of what you were doing to the poor man. Cindy gave you a questioning look and you sighed. "I don't really know why. I figured that if I didn't text Negan, Liam would leave me alone." Cindy clearly didn't understand your train of thought either so she changed the subject.

"Well, if you do end up leaving Liam, you have a room here. Just tell me when you need me and I'll be right in this house." Cindy's comment made you tear up a bit but you blinked those tears away and pulled her in for a hug. "I mean, it is very empty now that James and Tiffany are out of the house." Ugh, James and Tiffany. Her children in college. You had only met them once on Thanksgiving and you were shocked at how different they were from their parents. Cindy was such a caring mother, and her children definitely took advantage of that. They both managed to get into great schools but didn't bother thanking their mother when she took loans out for their education. They never bother calling her unless they need money or food.

"I'm sure your husband wouldn't like that idea too much, Cindy."

"Well, Paul will just have to deal with it. It's not like he's here as much as I am anyways. You and I could have so much fun, too! You can help me with my baking skills, or lack thereof."

"Don't be so mean to yourself, Cindy. You're great at baking."

"Now, if only you could balance your baking abilities with your lying abilities because you'd be set for life." 

You spent an hour at Cindy's until you decided to head back to your house. That is until you bumped into Negan; literally. He must have been out on that morning jog of his. "Oh, Negan, hi," you stumbled both verbally and physically. You couldn't build up the courage to look up at him because of your red cheeks. Knowing Negan, he'd tease you about it.

"Woah, you alright there? I didn't see you coming out of Cindy's," he chuckled and you could tell he felt a bit awkward as well. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"Decided not to go in. I have a new student-teacher who is pretty damn annoying. Decided to let her take the reigns for today," he chuckled again but you continued looking at the sidewalk. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just didn't expect to run into you. How have you been?" You asked, slowly making your way back to your house. 

"Good," he monotonously declared. "Actually, no. I've been a bit worried about you. You stopped texting me back; I wasn't sure if Liam took your phone away." You silently cursed yourself and looked up at him. The slightest sense of betrayal was apparent in his eyes, but you couldn't bear to gaze at him any longer and looked at your house instead.

"No, I'm sorry. I was trying to get him off my back. Whenever I picked up my phone, he watched me like a hawk. I should've said something, but today was the first time he left me alone." You could sense his relief at your words and as you were about to apologize once more, you felt his hand tenderly yet deliberately brush against yours. 

"Thank god you're okay," he whispered and you felt your cheeks burn a bit more. "I almost lost my mind." The next minute was silent as the two of you gradually strolled over to your porch and you turned toward him, still not making eye contact. 

"Um, do you want any coffee?" You mumbled and Negan smirked. "I mean, you're probably busy."

"I'd love some." For a moment, your heart leaped. "However, I don't want you getting into any more trouble on my behalf, sweetheart."

"Oh, okay," you pouted. "I just figured I could do something for you as an apology."

"No, no, this was enough," he grinned, and that was all you could look at. He exuded this sensation of security with him wherever he went and every time he was near, you melted. "Call me before the business douche comes home." You agreed and before you knew it, he was gone.

Bean was dreaming when you stepped inside the house, but you didn't mind since you were busy thinking about Negan and his forgiving self. If you had ghosted Liam, you wouldn't know what he'd do. Hell, you probably wouldn't be breathing. But Negan? He managed to make you feel like you were on Cloud Nine! Negan didn't force you to make an emotional transaction for his sake. He didn't want you to get in trouble even though the two of you could definitely have done some more 'making up' inside the house.

Now the inner battle began. When should you call him? Obviously you weren't going to call him that instant, that would seem too desperate. You shook your head and made your way upstairs to the bathroom. Since you hadn't showered yet, you figured you may as well do that to get your mind off of things.

Doing so made your mind go even crazier. Once you walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower, you recalled the feelings you had when you were showering just a couple of nights ago. _That_ night. Only this time, you weren't crying. Having a wholesome interaction with Negan made you feel self-assured. Certainly, such an interaction was weird, but you were intrigued by it. As you grabbed your towel and placed it on the towel rack by the shower, you realized you didn't even tell Cindy about the weird interaction you had with Liam earlier. Maybe that was something for a later date. She seemed a bit too fascinated by the situation you had brought forth regarding Negan, so you'd just have to bring it up next time. You slowly undressed until you decided to grab a hair clip from your drawer, seeing as you didn't want to wash your hair, and then something in you shattered.

The underwear you hid.

It was missing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N and Negan discuss what she should do after realizing her secret has been uncovered. Afterward, Y/N and Liam have an unusual encounter with one another.

"Oh my god," you whispered to yourself; this had been the hundredth time you said it as you stared at the drawer. If Liam discovered the underwear, you would be screwed. But he kissed you that morning! That didn't feel like a scorned man who knew what his partner had done. Or was he covering his tracks? Did Liam kiss you this morning because he knew it would derail your thought process?

Just in case, you tore the drawer apart, taking everything out just to see that sure enough, the panties were not there. So, you decided to call the only person you could think of in your time of dread.

"Hey, sweetheart," Negan answered almost immediately and you could detect the smugness rolling off of his tongue.

"Um, Negan? I'm in a bit of a predicament," you teared up. By now, you were sitting on the edge of your bathtub in a towel, and you still hadn't turned the shower off. "I think Liam knows what we did."

"Wait, what? Why the hell didn't you say something earlier?" His tone changed from flirty to anxious within a second.

"I just realized, and I'm not sure what to do."

"Hold on, what happened?" Your cheeks began to flush as you realized what you were going to have to say. "Y/N? Still there?"

"Yeah, um, you remember Friday night?" The butterflies in your stomach came back as you thought about Negan that night. You hated how that night finished. "Well, I had to hide my panties somewhere, so I set them in my makeup drawer because he doesn't use that one. Although, evidently, I'm fucking naive as all hell because they are not there anymore." You held back from crying into the phone and you could sense Negan's concern on the other end.

"Oh, shit," he stammered. "But you're okay, right?" You hummed in response and he sighed in relief. "Did he confront you at all?"

"No, but he did act weird this morning," you promptly admitted.

"Was he on edge?" No. "Irritable?" Usually, but not this time. "What did he do that was weird?" Well...

"He kissed me," you muttered and Negan was quiet. "Hello?" Obviously, you knew this wouldn't make Negan very happy.

"Hold on, he did fucking _what_?"

"He kissed my head before he left for work," you repeated.

"Why the hell did he do that?" The disgust in his tone spoke volumes and you shrugged to yourself. I mean, Liam was your _boyfriend_ after all... "Well, I suppose that's better than what I thought he'd fucking do," he groaned which almost made you chuckle, but your nerves got the best of you. "What does he usually do?"

"_Not_ that," your voice wavered as you shrugged and tiredly rubbed your eyes. "Usually he just leaves without speaking or doing anything." Your brows furrowed as you recalled every other morning before he left for work. One time, he started a screaming match with you because you forgot to buy some coffee creamer when he had asked for some the day before. After that, you made sure to keep everything stocked up in the kitchen. It hadn't really hit you that screaming wasn't standard in a relationship.

"What a fucking douchebag," Negan groaned and you glanced out of your bathroom window at his house. "Where are you?" A sigh escaped your lips as you longed to be back in Negan's house.

"I'm in my bathroom," you clarified, and you saw Negan walk over to his kitchen counter and he set one hand on his hip, looking at you through the window. You blushed as you remembered the last time you glanced at each other through the same windowpane, and you groaned to yourself.

"Okay, well, did you check the laundry? Maybe you took it out to wash it," he theorized but you knew that wasn't the case.

"I mean, I can check, but I know I didn't do that because Liam was on my ass this whole weekend," you replied, standing up from the edge of the tub. You hurriedly made your way over to the laundry bin after shutting the shower off and you went through each article of clothing, leaving Negan on speaker as you did so. "They're not here," you groaned.

"Maybe he did find them," he murmured, and it was a good minute until you heard him speak into the phone again. "God fucking dammit!" He roared and you flinched at the sudden outburst.

"Jesus," you whispered, not thinking he could hear you. He was getting frustrated, and you knew he wasn't mad at you. He just didn't like Liam; Negan knew something was off about him. That uneasy feeling the both of you felt was all because of the same person.

"I'm sorry," he softly returned. It was rare for you to hear an apology so candid.

"It's okay," you sulked, setting each piece of clothing back into the bin. There was a pause, and you knew Negan was thinking about what he was going to say next.

"It's not okay. This whole thing is not okay." Negan's frustration was evident and you furrowed your brows in confusion. What did he mean by that?

"Huh? Which part?" 

"I shouldn't have taken you back to my place," Negan quickly responded. "No, you know what, I shouldn't have taken you out at all. I'm such a fucking asshole," he defeatedly maintained. You couldn't help but feel insulted by how he was processing this.

"Don't say that. I have just as much responsibility as you do." You could overhear Negan sighing which frustrated you a bit more. "Hey, I can make my own decisions, you know. I'm a grown-ass woman." _Silence_. His muteness made you nervous, and you realized Liam was a decision you made. "Okay, fine, I may not be good at picking roommates, but I am damn good at seizing opportunities when they call for a good time," you feigned a smile as you tried to make light of the situation. _Silence_. "Negan, I told you that I wanted to go to your house, and because you're a gentleman, you listened to me." His chuckle on the other end made those butterflies in your belly flutter some more. _Finally_.

"If I were a fucking gentleman, I would have dropped you off at your goddamn house," he casually bickered, prompting the two of you to laugh. You could tell he was concerned for your wellbeing and he was beating himself up when it wasn't even his fault. 'Well, at least we had a good fucking time," he chuckled again; his chortles gave you such relief, and you couldn't describe how pleasant it was to hear them. 

"We sure did," you blushed and touched your cheeks with your cold fingers as you vividly recalled that night. 

"But seriously, Y/N, I'm truly sorry."

"Stop apologizing," you grinned and stood back up to peer through the window again. He was now in his bedroom, sitting on his bed with his head hanging low. "If you don't smile, I will hang up." Negan swiftly lifted his head and you could see, even from far away, the smirk that arose on his face. "Now, rather than imagining what we could have done otherwise, let's think about what we can do if shit hits the fan. Okay?"

"You're right, okay." He agreed and you beamed. "Do you plan on confronting him first, or is this entirely based on if _he_ confronts _you_?" His question confused you.

"What would _I_ confront him about?" Sure, you had questions, but nothing that had proof.

"Didn't you find a damn note or something?" Ah, yes, the note. That stupid goddamn shitty note. You weren't jealous over Liam, you were just pissed that he'd been having the time of his life while you have been in the house waiting for the sun to rise and fall each day. Oh, how badly you wanted to know what this bitch looked like.

"Yeah, what about it?" You sighed, holding the phone in one hand as you kneaded your shoulder with the other, rolling the bottom of your knuckles against the tense muscle. 

"That could be your reason to leave," he pointed out. It wasn't the worst thing you had ever heard. Except, you couldn't imagine defying Liam face-to-face, especially after he basically caught you in the act. "Hello?"

"I guess," you shrugged, "but he would turn the tables on me and how he caught me at your house."

"Or you could do what all women do and tell him to not change the subject." His attempt at a light-hearted joked crashed and burned. "Look, if you catch him in a lie first, he can't really do much about the shit at hand." You hated that he was right.

"I suppose so," you nodded. "Although, what do I do after that?"

"Break up with him," Negan quickly clarified with a short yet telling chuckle, but you were quiet. "Y/N, you're fucking miserable with that douchebag. You've been with him for how long?"

"Five years," you mumbled in response.

"And how many of those long-ass years were spent happy?"

"About one, maybe two," you defeatedly admitted. "Okay, fine, pretend I do break up with him. Where do I go?" It was quiet for a moment, which made the air feel thick. "I haven't spoken to Alice in so long, so it's not like I could stay at her place temporarily. Plus, Cindy said I could, but I know her husband would not be too fond of the idea."

"Well, have you spoken to your mother?" You hadn't considered her as an alternative for a long time. It's not that you resented her or anything, but you didn't want to disappoint her. If she knew how terribly you were doing in this 'love' thing, you wouldn't know what to do. Besides, she lives in another state. You couldn't do that to your mom or yourself.

"No, no, she is not an option. Although, the last time Alice and I spoke, she suggested the attic above my mom's shop." He was quiet for a moment, probably trying to comprehend why the attic was a possibility. "My mom would be too exhausted to come home some nights so she designed an apartment upstairs."

"I see," Negan nervously chuckled. "So why haven't you gone over there?"

"Because that would require calling my mom and asking her for permission. If I were still the manager, it wouldn't even be a question. But, I don't think I could call her about this. Negan, I can't tell her how bad it is with Liam."

"If you needed to, you could stay here, just like I told you before," Negan timidly uttered. You had never heard anyone state something in such an honest yet apprehensive tone before. His proposition caught you off guard, and you couldn't feel your face for a minute. "I mean, only if you wanted to."

"Uh, I don't know," you shrugged, your cheeks flushed. "I mean, he'd instantly recognize-"

"Sweetheart, it wouldn't matter." Negan's persistence was a touch shocking to you, but you weren't certain as to why. He had clearly been attempting to help you regarding your 'relationship' with Liam for quite a while. This shouldn't have come to such a surprise for you.

"I guess so," you nodded until you realized how much of a selfless gesture that truly was. "Hold on, are you positive you'd be okay with that?"

"Would I be offering my shit if I didn't fucking mean it?" 

"Well, you could just be remarkably kind," you tensely laughed and he joined you. 

"You know me, all kind and shit," he chuckled. You meekly hummed to yourself while your heart raced at the idea of living with Negan. _Would he be just as sweet as he's been all along? Or would he pull a Liam and transform into an asshole overnight? _"Okay darling, just let me know when you plan on confronting him about it." 

"Why?"

"So I can make sure this place is cozy just for you." _Please, dear God, would he stay like this?_ "Also, you should have your essentials packed before you do anything." _Would he always think ahead for your sake?_ "Oh, and tell me right before you do so," he advised, and you nodded to yourself. You weren't sure when you were going to do it, but you knew you had to do so before Liam would confront you.

"Okay," you accepted, and that fluttery sensation appeared in your belly yet again.

"Call me later, sweetheart," he requested; the tone of his voice gave away his concern but you shrugged it off and nodded, waving at him through the window.

"Will do, goodbye," you mumbled and hung up the phone. At this point, you decided to briefly rinse your concerns away by finally taking that shower. The window was left uncovered as you decided Negan deserved some kind of present for listening to your troubles. Hell, he deserved so much more for offering you a place to stay if you needed it.

Once you exited the shower, you could sense the emptiness of the house. Even looking out of the window didn't heal your solitude. The size of the house never failed in supplying you with a miserable and lonely feeling. You always desired a large house like this, but you wanted it to be lively, not the dismal void it truly was. A big happy family was always your fantasy, and so far it hadn't come true. Sure, you were only in your mid-twenties, but you felt that your true calling was to be a mom. But as much as you craved the idea of providing a loving home for your future children, you knew that having kids too early would be a mistake you couldn't undo, so you stuck with your instincts and refused to make that slip with _Liam_. However, you knew that once you left him, the likelihood of having a family in the near future was going to be reduced, which made your heart sink.

And then, in the midst of your sorrow, the thought of actually leaving your boyfriend came to mind, and it made you... hopeful. It was an unfamiliar emotion, as you hadn't endured such optimism in a long time. Well, that was until you met your new neighbor. From the moment you met him, he gave you such a warm feeling inside. Hell, he showed you what it was like to be with a _man_. Negan made sure that your comfort was the top priority; meanwhile, as long as Liam finishes, Liam's happy. You were able to see just how different they both were in the brief time you've known Negan. While you hated how you always compared the two, but you couldn't help it. How was it that in the five years of being with Liam, you feared him more than you adored him?

Pulling on your fuzzy pink robe gave you a sense of relief after you dried yourself with a towel. You were doing your best to not fret about the missing panties and after hanging your towel, you walked out of the bathroom and into the master bedroom. Liam had only let you decorate one room, and it was the bedroom. While you loved the layout of the room, it still didn't feel like it was yours. He hired some of the best painters in the area to coat the walls with the perfect shade of powder blue. Liam also let you organize the walk-in closet that the two of you shared. You decided to organize everything by season and color. He always seemed to complain about how it should be organized by occasion, but you always reminded him that the bedroom was the one area he promised to you. Ironic how it was supposedly 'your space' yet you seemed to sleep on the sofa downstairs half the time.

It was still morning and you weren't planning on going anywhere that day, so you decided to just pull on a pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt. Bean was asleep on the mattress, and you felt a grin creep its way onto your face as you decided to sit on the mattress next to her. Her little eyes opened slowly when she felt the bed shift under your weight, and she lazily lifted herself to plop herself back down onto your lap. She was a good dog; always kept you company when you required it most.

Bean always managed to calm you enough to fall asleep. Her snores coaxed you into a deep slumber even when you least expected it. You sat back, and your spine rested on the mattress with your legs still dangling off of the bed. Staring at the ceiling, you thought about what life with Negan would be like. Rather than questioning it, you tiredly came up with scenarios in your head. You thought about breakfast, making the bed together, helping him with errands, _messing up_ the bed... It all seemed too perfect, and you could feel your excitement in your abdomen; it resembled that tight feeling you get before the big drop on a rollercoaster. But your enthusiasm wasn't enough to keep you from drifting into a deep sleep as Bean's untroubled snores ultimately lured you into a much-needed slumber. 

Because you had been resting on the sofa for a few nights in a row, resting on a mattress felt wondrous. Your body dragged itself into the heart of the bed as you dreamed of a perfect life next-door, and your exhaustion muted the noise of the front door opening and closing, as well as the yaps that came from Bean's muzzle. It was when you felt a tender thumb brush a strand of hair out of your face that your brain began to awaken itself. "Mmm," you tiredly hummed, accepting the warm mercy of the hand that grazed against your skin, but your eyes refused to open just yet. 

"I'm home," an all too familiar voice murmured, but instead of opening your eyes, you clenched them shut even tighter than they were before. "I see you've been napping," Liam monotonously noted. You nodded after realizing you were now resting on your stomach and you stretched your legs, waiting for him to leave you alone, but he didn't. 

"You're early," you lazily pointed out and opened one eye, noticing his tie was relaxed and he was wearing his old pair of glasses. "Oh," a gasp escaped your lips as you observed something that you hadn't seen in ages. 

"Yeah, yeah, the glasses, I know," he smirked and rolled his eyes in an amused manner; something else you hadn't witnessed in ages. "I lost a contact today," he sighed. His glasses were your weakness. They had always made you laugh, but not because you disliked them; you loved them. The frames were big and boxy, but they were also a hideous grey that couldn't be replicated. Except that wasn't the only thing that caught your attention; he was in such a good mood, and you weren't sure if that was going to be used against you at any moment. 

"I've always liked your glasses," you admitted, pulling a pillow from the top of the mattress and placing it under your head.

"Yeah?" He grinned. 

"Mhm," you hummed again. "What time is it?" He seemed to be in such a great mood, and even though you knew he had something to do with the missing panties, you were going to overlook it. Just for one moment of peace.

"It's after 5:30," Liam declared after checking his watch. Apparently it was an heirloom or something. 

"Shit, I've been sleeping for too long," you mumbled, realizing you had been dormant for most of the day. "I thought you were going to be back in a couple of days." 

"Yeah, I was supposed to go until the trip was canceled by my boss. Apparently there was an issue with the schedule or something." You were quiet for a moment, not sure what to say to that. Of course, he could tell, so he immediately changed the subject. "Hey, for dinner, I was thinking we could order some pizza." You sat up and nodded in shock. Normally he'd command you to make some dinner and then barely eat it before going out again. 

"Sure, and can we get those garlic knots I like?" He shrugged with a smile and you felt your chest grow warm, which was unexpected. This was the man that hid your underwear after stealing it from your drawer. This was the man that made you uncomfortable in the house you lived in. But you were too sluggish to do anything about it. "We can call in about half an hour, okay?" Liam nodded in response as he sprawled on the bed next to you and turned on the television across the room which automatically connected to the reality tv shows that you liked so much. Liam kicked off his shoes and adjusted the cushion under his head as he watched the screen and you flipped yourself to lay on your back, placing a few inches between the two of you.

"You know, the guys I work with watch this show on their phones. They think they're so fucking sly," he smirked. "I can never remember which one is which. They all look the same." You jeered before quickly pointing out which Kardashian was which. As much as you didn't want to admit it, sitting with Liam felt good. It was until a noisy commercial break that you felt your phone vibrate, but you pushed it underneath your thigh, hoping that Liam didn't catch that. Luckily, he seemed to be unaware of the incident so you proceeded to sigh in relief. That night, you ate pizza with your boyfriend while watching your favorite shows, and it made you feel both incredibly relieved and guilty.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A couple of weeks after discussing her plan to leave Liam, Y/N is still with her boyfriend, who is now shaping back into the man she used to admire. Instead of focusing on her relationship and how to end it, she distracts herself by helping Negan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know, i hate me too

You didn't understand what you were feeling. Guilt? Relief?

Ever since you spoke to Negan for the first time, you realized that you could do so much better than Liam. He was irritable, never home, and way too controlling. The two of you couldn't carry a conversation without someone feeling neglected, so at some point, you just stopped trying. However, the past few weeks had been amazing. Yes, a few weeks. It was now the beginning of March, and it seemed that Liam was starting to turn around, and so was the weather. The days were growing warmer, and now that the air in the house was no longer stiff and stale, you felt more relaxed than ever before. After that afternoon, he had been wearing his glasses around the house and he slowly began to wear more casual clothes in the house rather than his typical suit. He seemed to be gradually morphing back into the man you once adored.

It was a lot of physical changes as well as emotional ones. You still hadn't been intimate with one another, but you felt yourself slowly inching toward him. It was unquestionably your mind just craving the good days that the two of you used to have. Everything was improving so fast, but you didn't want to question it. Why would you? The man you had been involved with for so long had now become the man you loved from the start. Or was it love? At this point, you weren't sure what was going on with your heart. It seemed right to stay with Liam, at least until it felt wrong. 

However, you still texted Negan every day. In fact, he took up quite the chunk out of your day because he'd always check-in and see how you were doing. Whenever your boyfriend was at work, you'd call Negan and the two of you would evade the most obvious topic: Liam. He seemed to be the same guy you had first met, which was surprising because he surely knew something was up just from you not badmouthing Liam anymore. Especially since you didn't mention anything about leaving Liam, too.

One morning, Liam was home and it was still a bit early in the morning. He would usually leave the house much earlier, but you weren't going to say anything. "Good morning, do you want some breakfast?" You murmured to Liam as you tiredly dragged your feet across the kitchen tile. The two of you still weren't sleeping in the same bed; now, he was the one on the sofa. You made it obvious that you weren't comfortable sleeping in the same bed still. Yes, you felt yourself inching towards him, but you were not comfortable just yet with being so vulnerable with him. He was sitting at the counter while sipping away at his coffee. "I'm thinking about making my famous peanut butter banana toast," you yawned. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes before stretching his arms out.

"No, but thank you though. I have to shower and get ready," he admitted, and you noticed yourself feeling a bit disheartened by his declaration. "But you should go ahead and make yourself something."

"Trust me, I will," you grinned and opened the cupboard, grasping the bread and peanut butter. He chuckled as he left the kitchen while you sighed, shuffling over to the toaster and placing two slices of bread inside. You pressed the lever and soon enough, you heard the shower start upstairs. You liked your toast crunchier than most, so it stayed in the toaster for a good two minutes as your brain slowly turned itself on. However, the same moment the bread popped up, your phone began to ring, which gave you a heart attack; your brain no longer needed to wake itself up.

You couldn't help but wonder who the hell was calling at 9:00 in the morning. Everyone in the neighborhood knew not to call before 10:30. Well, that apparently excluded Negan, whose name was across the screen and you held back a grin as you pressed accept.

"Negan? What's up?" You could hear him sigh as there was a quick screech in the background. Next thing you knew, there was a very loud whistle being blown and Negan suddenly shouted a few expletives. "Hello?"

"Ugh, Y/N, you have no fucking idea how badly I needed to hear your voice." You couldn't help but grin at what you had just overheard in the background.

"I'm guessing you're at work?"

"Sure am. These kids are pissing me the fuck off, so I had to call. You know, to see what's going on with you."

"Nothing much, just making myself breakfast."

"Let me guess: peanut butter toast?" He teasingly presumed, and you could tell he was smiling on the other side of the phone. 

"You always forget the banana," you facetiously gasped as you took the hot toast out of the toaster. 

"I do, don't I?" He chuckled and you felt your cheeks go numb for a moment. "I ate some toast this morning, too," Negan innocently proclaimed, which made you grin as you unscrewed the top of the peanut butter jar and took a knife out of a nearby drawer. 

"Sometimes, it just hits the spot, you know?" His rumbling chuckle on the other end was surprisingly sexy and it gave you a tingling feeling in your gut, which was strange because you were talking about food. How the hell did he make you feel this way while talking about food? He made you think of the most unexpected things even when you were simply smearing peanut butter over some bread. Hell, you were thinking about things the two of you could do _with_ some peanut butter. That is, until the sound of the shower turned off, which made you groan. "Shit, sorry Negan, we're going to have to cut this phone call short."

"Dear God, please, don't," he audibly groaned. "I can't sit here watching these kids without talking to someone."

"Call up, I don't know, your ex, see what's going on in her life," you taunted as you grabbed a banana and he grunted on the other end of the receiver.

"If you ever mention her again, I'm going to have to dump you as a friend." His tone was the perfect blend of serious and amused. It was so excellent, in fact, you weren't entirely sure what he was feeling.

"Aw, makes me sad, I thought we were besties." Being sarcastic with Negan was continually the most fun you could have. Well, the _second_ most fun you could have.

"Yeah, whatever. Oh, actually, I am in some sort of a pickle." His use of his words made you laugh to yourself as you strolled over to the counter and sat down. "I forgot my goddamn lunch at my house, and I'm not allowed to leave campus to get any food. So, could you just pick me up something and drop it off? I'll pay you back, obviously."

"Sure," you quickly accepted. He just gave you an excuse to leave the house. "What time is your lunch break?"

"It starts at 11:25. You still have a couple of hours, so you'll be fine."

"You know, I could just make your lunch. I have a lot of food here, anyway."

"Even better," Negan's voice was sweet until you heard what sounded like another shriek. "You little shit, stop fucking screaming and take it like a fucking man!"

"Um, hello?"

"Sorry, these pieces of shit are playing dodgeball and this freshman kid keeps fucking crying."

"Well, yeah. I'm sure he's getting bombarded by everyone else if he's a freshman." 

"Maybe they wouldn't gang up on him if he'd fucking quit crying," he loudly roared the last three words, clearly punishing the poor kid over his tears.

"Yelling doesn't help anyone," you chuckled, trying to stand up for the unknown child, but it was obvious Negan didn't care.

"It's a game, it's fucking fun," he sighed, and you could just imagine the stance he held as he watched his students play. "Even the girls who resent my class are having one hell of a time, it's just this loser who wants nothing to do with this shit."

"Y/N? Who are you talking to?" Liam asked, now dressed in yet another suit with his hair still damp. Your heart sank.

"Oh, it's, um, it's Alice. You know, my friend from high school? She says hi," you lied and Negan chuckled as you spoke. Liam nodded and walked over to the coffee maker. "Anyways, I will, uh, send you those pictures of Bean later, okay?"

"Yeah, see you later," Negan simply rejoined.

"Bye," you muttered and hurriedly hung up. "I see you've got your contacts in," you softly smiled.

"Mhm," he quietly hummed as he poured some coffee into a thermos. "Hey, by the way, I need to meet one of our neighbors for dinner at the Addington. You know, for business." You sighed and wondered why you got involved with such a workaholic. "Don't wait up for me, though."

"When you say dinner, do you mean this is one of those things where it goes until midnight?" 

"It might be; like I said, don't wait up." It was obvious he was just trying to inform you of his abrupt change in schedule, but you couldn't help but feel like a bit of Old Liam was seeping through again. "Oh, shit, I'll be late if I don't leave now, sorry babe," he rushed and swiftly grasped his jacket, thermos, and his keys. "See you later," he shouted and left the house without blurting those three words that most couples say before leaving. Now that he was gone, all you could do was look forward to 11:25.

At around 10:00, you took a shower and blow-dried your hair, but the hardest part was deciding what you were going to wear. A dainty spring dress, a light t-shirt, a blouse? You couldn't decide, so you tried on everything and settled on a flowy black dress that was littered with small pink flowers. It shocked you at how cute you truly looked. Whenever you wore a dress, you felt so adorable and feminine. Dresses gave you such an overwhelming amount of confidence. It was unfortunate that you didn't wear them as often as your heart desired.

It was 11:00 when you started preparing his lunch. It looked like a lot of food in the brown paper bag, but all it contained was a turkey sandwich, a container of strawberries, a tiny receptacle of carrots, and a snack-sized packet of Oreos. Shortly after finishing up, you pulled on your denim jacket, put on your boots, grabbed your car keys, and fled the house.

Since the school was so close, it only took about ten minutes to get there, and you had just a couple more minutes before lunch would begin. You were surprised that the door opened because as a teenager, the door would be locked the moment the first class started until the last class ended. You walked into the building with your heart in your throat, quickly making your way to the gym doors. It was clear of his nightmare students and you sauntered over to his office before knocking on the already open door.

"Coach Negan, your lunch is here," you greeted and he quickly glanced up from his desk; his eyes seemed to soften.

"Would you look at that? Right on time," he gestured for you to sit across from him as you handed him his lunch. "So, where are my pictures of Bean?" At first, you were confused but then you remembered when you had said goodbye.

"Sorry Alice, I forgot," you shrugged and he chuckled as he subconsciously stroked at his chin, a small scratchy noise emanated from his fingers caressing his scruff. "It's getting nice outside, isn't it?" You grinned as you noticed him studying your outfit.

"Yeah, it is," he smirked. "I see you're taking that to your advantage," he teased and you blushed as you straightened out your skirt. Negan gave you a smirk before opening the paper bag you made for him. "Have you eaten anything?"

"I had my toast and I ate a couple of strawberries while making your lunch. I'm not even that hungry."

"_That_ hungry? So you're hungry, but you're too damn polite to say shit about it, huh?" You shrugged; he knew exactly what you were thinking. Before you could protest, he pushed some carrots and strawberries on a nearby napkin over to you. You accepted the food and hugged yourself. All the other times you had been dragged into this office as a kid, you never noticed how chilly it was, but now that you were in a dress, you felt it.

"Damn, it's freezing."

"You're joking, right?" He was wearing sweatpants and a zip-up, so you scoffed in disbelief.

"You're covered up head to toe, Negan," you laughed as you pointed at his outfit. He simply shrugged off his hoodie and handed it to you.

"Now I'm not," he smirked and resumed eating his lunch. You quickly laid his sweatshirt across your legs, fixing it as a blanket before you continued eating with Negan. "Hey, when do you think you'll be free again?"

"Not entirely sure, why?"

"Just wondering. I, uh, I coach the baseball team and Saturday's the first game, so I was just wondering if you'd wanna go. I promise I'll entertain you as much as possible."

"Wow, another date already?"

"Of course, we're two peas in one fucking pod," Negan belted out with a huge grin on his face. "It's a home game. I kinda need someone there to give me some good ass support. Do you think you're up to it? Because I will admit, I look fucking hot in my baseball pants."

Your cheeks reddened and before you knew it, you were nodding. "I'll see what I can do. It sure sounds fun. I'll even bring some snacks for when you win."

"Homemade, not the grocery crap I saw you sneak into that woman's house," Negan smirked and gave you a short wink with how excited he was that you'd consider going to a game.

"Fine, fine. If I go, I'll bring some cookies, sandwiches - a whole ass picnic." He nodded and you could tell he was going to hold you up to that. "So, what do _I_ get out of this?" Negan rolled his eyes and smirked as he remembered you didn't care about sports.

"You get to bask in all my glory," he chuckled, but you shook your head. "Oh come on." You giggled as you leaned back into the cushion and he quickly mirrored your actions. "Fine, after the game, would you wanna go out with me that evening? It's only a deal if you go to the game, though." While that seemed like a fine deal, you couldn't help but want to stir him up a bit.

"Hmm, how about this: if you win, we can go get some fine ass lobster that night. We can dress up and drink some wine; but if you lose, we eat some greasy pizza in some comfy clothes," you said as you finished up the portion of food he gave you, which was most of the fruit and veggies anyway. "Oh, and I get to drive your truck."

"You can't be serious," he dramatically groaned and you grinned at him before settling back into the cushion. "Now I have to actually coach their asses."

"Come on, this wager makes it extra exciting. And, now that this is happening, I will actually pay attention unlike what I was planning on doing."

"What the fuck were you going to do in the first place?" 

"To see if your butt actually looked good in those pants." It was true. He claimed he looked great, but you had to see if he was telling the truth. Although, you had seen him in jeans, and he already looked great in _those_. He clutched his chest and you held back rolling your eyes at him.

"You'd think I'd lie about that? I'm hurt."

"All guys think their ass looks great in any pants or none at all. It just takes an honest woman to break the news to him."

"Oh yeah? Well, you're going to be overwhelmed, sweetheart."

"Mhm, okay," you teasingly hummed and he chuckled yet again. You never really thought you were funny, but clearly you entertained Negan.

"So, what will be your excuse to get out on Saturday?"

"I'm not sure," you muttered, remembering how relaxing things have finally been at home with Liam. You kind of felt bad for doing all of this with Negan, but at the same time, you feel bad for not seeing Negan for so long. "I mean, tonight he's apparently having a last-minute dinner with a client, so who knows what could happen. I guess I could have Cindy cover for me and say she wanted to have a ladies night-in," you wittily stated, and it made Negan a bit flustered. He obviously remembered that that was the same excuse you were considering to tell Liam all those nights ago. 

"You wouldn't," he stammered before taking a large bite out of the sandwich you made. Before you could reply, the bell rang and made you flinch in your seat. 

"Damn, is your lunch really that short?"

"Yep," he nodded and tossed his garbage into the bin close to his desk. "I'll call you later," he smiled as he stood up, and you did the same.

"Don't wait too long, I'll be at home watching some crappy reality tv and if no one stops me for even a second, I could end up watching it forever."

"Dear god woman," he teasingly mumbled and you clumsily handed him his hoodie after standing up. "I'll call right when I leave work. You know, just to make sure you're not dead." You laughed and looked down at your shoes as you walked out of his office until he called out your name.

"Yeah?" You subconsciously tucked your hair behind your ear and looked up at him as he pulled his sweatshirt back on.

"Thank you," Negan winked and you subconsciously bit your lip trying to stop your cheeks from burning.

"Anytime," you replied and casually stepped out of the school. When you got home, you sat on the sofa and smiled to yourself for an hour before doing anything else. You had almost forgotten what it was like to see Negan in person and, of course, it was even better than you remembered. However, the high of seeing him inevitably wore off, and soon you were back to your usual habits. Since you figured you weren't doing anything else that day, you changed out of your dress and put on some sweatpants and a t-shirt. Now you were back to normal. Well, that was until 3:30 when Negan called you again. "Hello?" You said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. This guy made you absurdly happy.

"Had to see if you were still fucking breathing." You heard a couple of voices in the background saying '_goodbye_' to who you assumed was Negan. "What are you watching now?" You laughed since he didn't ask what you were _doing._

"Nothing you need to worry about," you grinned, but you could tell he knew you were stalling. "Kardashians," you shamefully confessed and he sighed. "What? It's entertainment." 

"You really have no standards, do you?" 

"Well you just insulted yourself seeing as I choose to talk to you for entertainment, too," you teased. His laugh boomed into the speaker and you had to move the phone away from your ear until he stopped. 

"Well shit, I didn't know I was entertaining," he taunted, with a couple of chuckles here and there. 

"For a woman with low standards, you are," you teased him right back and he just continued giggling like a schoolgirl. "So, how was your day?"

"Great," he sarcastically declared, "I only had to yell at 7 assholes instead of the normal 10."

"Oh quit it, you adore your students. No matter how irritating they are," you chuckled and you could hear him do the same.

"Yeah, I know. It's just, they can be so goddamn whiny." Oh, the irony.

"Just like you right now?" He began laughing uproariously yet again, causing you to do the same. That man's laughter was so damn contagious.

"Exactly," Negan quickly replied and you rolled your eyes, grinning to yourself with crimson cheeks. "I'm still annoyed with your fucking bet, though."

"Come on, I made it interesting. And, now you get to be the mean coach if they do anything dumb, and I get to see you in a fit of rage."

"Wow, you're evil. You are really evil," he teased. There was a pause in conversation until he began talking again, only now he had a nervous tone. "Oh, yeah, so since I know you are oh so fucking lonely, I figured we could go out, have some fun. You know, now that you're out and about again," Negan's daring tone made you excited and you looked down at your hand.

"Oh, Negan, I'm not sure-"

"I mean, you did say business douche is out tonight." You could sense the smirk on his face just by his teasing tone. 

"Ugh, why do you do this to me," you groaned, wanting so terribly to see him again. "You know I want to see you." That familiar fluttering feeling in your abdomen came back as you argued internally with yourself, and you weren't sure what to do. Your brain said no but your heart screamed yes. The two of you were silent during this war between your intellect and desire until you heard the sweetest voice speak up on the other end. 

"I hope you know you don't have to do anything you don't want to." Oh god. "You know that, right?" You were sold.

"Fuck it, let's do something."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Negan gets Y/N out of the house and shows her what she's been missing. (NSFW language)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall,,  
so much happens in this one. also can we talk about how long this chapter is?!  
anyways, i was debating this outcome with a different one but i figured yall needed some happy shit, especially since i havent updated lmao  
i'm really bad with posting but i love this story; its a struggle lmfao

It was ten minutes until 5:00, which was when Negan said he'd stop by. You couldn't help but blush when you recalled it was the same time you were going to see _Pretty Woman._ A few minutes after he called, you ran up to your closet and pulled on the first two items you saw: black jeans and a floral cold-shoulder top; it was flowy but still accentuated your waist. You just couldn't wait to see him. There was no rush, but you felt so antsy; you had never felt this excited to go see Liam even at your best. Negan brought out this childlike enthusiasm in you, which was definitely something you had to get used to. However, each time you spoke it was like your heart raced faster. Maybe it was because you knew involving yourself with another man while you lived with another was seductively wicked. Or maybe it was because Negan was like a drug and the longer you went without him, the more alleviating it was to see him. Or maybe it was both.

As you waited for 5:00 to come around, you pulled the black, velvet scrunchie out of your hair and brushed out all of the tangles, but something still looked a little off, so you decided to just put it up in a ponytail. Perhaps it was because the second you got home, you tossed your hair into the sloppiest bun, but you shrugged it off as you put some small gold hoop earrings in and pulled some white sneakers on. The moment you finished checking yourself in the mirror, you heard the doorbell go off. "Coming!" You shouted as you ran down the steps and towards the door. Your cheeks were numb from how hard you were smiling as you reached the entrance and you finally opened it, revealing the forbidden fruit.

"Hey," Negan smirked. You noticed he was leaning on the doorway with his hands in his jean pockets, and just witnessing such a bold stance made your heart skip a beat.

"Hey," you blushed, shifting aside so he could walk in. "Come on in." He nodded as he stepped in, and you noticed he looked around the place as if it were the first time he'd been inside. "Is something different?" You looked around the living room after shutting the door and he bent his neck while studying a few pictures.

"Just remembering the first time we met," he grinned, looking back down at you. You felt your toes wiggling in your shoes from excitement after making eye contact with him, which was a practice you never possessed until now. "Well shit, you look amazing."

"Oh, stop," you shook your head. Before he arrived, you thought you looked pretty good, yet oddly enough, you felt incredibly intimidated by Negan's presence in your house. In a good way, of course. "I just have to grab my purse and we can go," you grinned and turned to go into the kitchen. He stayed by the door, watching you as you walked away. The first time he saw you up close, you were wearing some loose-fitting jeans and a very large, long sleeve shirt, and he thought you were beautiful then, but now, you were heavenly. "Got it," you mumbled as you walked over to him, with the strap of your purse over your shoulder.

"Might want to bring a jacket," he chuckled and you reflexively frowned.

"Aw, is it cold out again?" Negan nodded and you sighed, quickly taking the purse off of your shoulder and grabbing the denim jacket you had worn earlier from the sofa. "So, where are we going?" It was a Tuesday, so you figured it wouldn't be anything too wild. He smoothly took the jacket from your grip and he kindly assisted you with putting it on, which of course made you blush and look down.

"I thought we could just go to Main Street, do some window shopping, maybe grab some dinner afterward. I only figured you wouldn't do anything too fucking special since you'd be home alone. And I may or may not have just wanted to get you out of this depressing ass void of a house." Your chest grew warm at the idea of Negan thinking about you.

"Wow, a man wanting to window shop? You're a goddamn anomaly, you know that?" The two of you chuckled before he opened the door and Negan let you exit before him. He shut the door and waited for you to lock it before leading you over to his truck, which was yet again parked in your driveway. "You know, you don't have to keep parking here. I have legs, I can walk to you," you chuckled and he shook his head before opening the passenger side door for you and offering his hand for you to get in.

"Not happening," he chuckled before shutting the door and walking over to his side. "I already feel like shit for making you drop my lunch off today."

"Oh come on, it's fine. That's what neighbors are for, right?" You teasingly nudged his elbow with your own which made him roll his eyes in jest. Negan started the engine and you could feel the slightest gust of warm air coming from his vents. "You know, I forgot what Main Street looks like."

"Jesus, Y/N, you need to get out more often."

"I mean, I would if I could," you shrugged, looking out of the window at all of the houses Negan drove past.

"It's literally only five minutes away," he chortled, but you could tell there wasn't any playfulness in his tone. "Jesus, the days are still so damn short," he groaned as the sunset could be seen watercolored across the horizon.

"Yeah, but look at that view," you mumbled, practically in a daze of what you were viewing. You didn't see Negan's eyes softening as he glanced over your profile. You were too fascinated by the sky in front of you to notice, which made Negan's heart race faster than you could ever imagine. "Gorgeous, isn't it?"

"Mhm," he hummed in response, shifting his attention back onto the road before him. It took only a couple minutes before you saw the rows of corner stores that the downtown area had to offer.

"Oh my god, can we go inside the bookstore? No, the vinyl shop? Wait, no, we're first going to the cafe," you rambled on about where you wanted to go and Negan chuckled lowly at the sight. "What? We need something to keep us going," you excitedly declared and unbuckled your seatbelt before he even parked. "Hm, where should we go after that, though?"

He parked on the side of the road just like all the other cars and he quickly unfastened his seatbelt after seeing how impatient you were getting. "How about we get some coffee first, then we go wherever the hell we want after that."

"Go team," you mocked and quickly opened the door, not bothering to wait for him to open it for you, even though you knew he wanted to. You readily breathed in the familiar scent of cigarette smoke and the faint aroma of cinnamon, which most definitely originated from the shop operated by an older woman who prided herself on her homemade cinnamon rolls. Negan raced around the car to catch up with you as you strolled down the sidewalk. The sound of the car locking made you recollect who you were with, which caused an even bigger smile to turn on your lips. "It really is cold," a laugh escaped your lips and he nodded. His hands were shoved into his pockets to warm them up. Your hands were cold too, so you did something neither of you anticipated: you seized his hand. He didn't say anything, and when you snuck a peek at him, you could see his cheeks were flushed, which made your cheeks redden as well.

Like a true gentleman, Negan opened the door to the coffee shop for you and let you lead him into it since you were still clutching his hand. This shop was one of your favorite places as a teenager because it was a 24-hour cafe; it allowed you a place to study for finals and a place to hang out with your best friend when neither of you could sleep.

Both of you ordered your drinks to-go and of course, he beat you in the shortly-lived game of '_Who Will Pay'_. "You look like you're having some fun already," he grinned and you agreed, peering around the room as the two of you anticipated your drinks. The place didn't change one bit. The walls were still a deep shade of brown and were covered in white quotes stated by famous musicians. "So, what kind of food are you feeling tonight?" Hearing his voice echo made you realize that, other than the employees, you and Negan were the only people there.

"Sushi, lobster, steak, maybe some caviar. You know, since you're paying." He let out a rumbling chuckle and you praised yourself for getting him to laugh yet again. "In all seriousness, I'm kind of feeling a good old-fashioned pizza."

"Thought that was what we would eat if my boys lose the game on Saturday," Negan reminded and you shrugged.

"So? I can eat pizza any time," you admitted, stepping closer to him just to nudge his elbow with your own.

"My kind of gal," Negan smirked and you were finally delivered your drinks. Before he could, you humorously hurried to open the door for him and he rolled his eyes at you while letting out a soothing laugh. "Hey, let's go to the record shop first," he easily decided and you agreed, concentrating on keeping your hands warm by tightly squeezing the coffee cup, even though you wanted so terribly to seize his hand again. You figured you had already made the first move, so he should be the one to make the next.

There was a quick ring of a bell as Negan opened the door and the odor of old vinyl made you reminisce about your grandparents' attic full of dusty records. "Holy shit, this place is amazing," you grinned ear to ear when you looked around at all of the albums you cherished. You didn't really listen to new music even though you wanted so badly to catch up with the more modern pieces, and you often found yourself seeking comfort from the classics. Your music taste was all you really had in common with your father, so maybe that was why you held those records so near and dear to your heart.

"I see you like the older selections, huh?" Negan was happily watching you enjoy yourself. He loved seeing you so engaged in what you were doing, and what you were doing was gently rummaging through used records.

"It's what I grew up with," you confessed, realizing how much you were geeking out. "What do you like?" You asked as you studied the back of an _Eagles_ sleeve.

"The same." Hearing that made you look up at him in disbelief, and you shook your head, trying not to make a big deal out of it. You hadn't met another guy who appreciated older music, too. However, his taste in music made sense, since he was quite a bit older than you. But you realized that maybe you were so compatible because of the age difference.

"Liam hates this stuff. He says that new material is always better. Well, I call bull." Negan saw you frown as you mentioned Liam, which you didn't even notice. Without realizing, your lips pursed as your mind recalled a moment when Liam had snapped a CD you burned that contained your grandmother's favorite songs. You instantly scolded yourself, thinking about what you could have done that would have prevented him from doing such a thing.

"You know what?" Negan glanced down as he stepped closer to you. "Tonight's about you. No more talk about Liam or whatever. Let's just focus on making you happy." You couldn't help but get the chills as he spoke. Seeing his eyes gazing at your lips made you freeze, and you waited for something to happen, but nothing did, which made your cheeks fire up in embarrassment.

"You know just how to talk to a lady, don't you?" The tension in the air made you feel the need to make a quick joke, and he soon realized how close he was to you, so he stepped back a few inches.

"Hey, what can I say. I'm a natural." Oh how that made you want to scream at him. Usually, Negan would have at least made a comment about making a move on you, especially in such a vulnerable moment, so why didn't he?

"Yeah, whatever," you awkwardly laughed and he did the same before studying some other records in the same corner of the shop.

Over the next hour and a half, the two of you walked in and out of stores as if you were going to buy everything on the street. There were some unusual places, including a bong shop and a disturbing bridal store, but you visited them all. At one point, Negan almost bought you a weird pipe from the bong shop. He wouldn't stop laughing but then decided not to when you were clearly apprehensive. Both of you reached his car and hopped in, but you were shivering from how cold the interior of the car had gotten.

He instinctively turned the car on and blasted the heat, rubbing both of his palms together. Seeing him like that made you giggle. "Where do you want to go for pizza? There's a good place by the highway."

"Oh my god," you groaned, and somehow managed to cover a snort. "This is, like, deja vu. Is it so difficult to learn the names of the restaurants you go to?" He shrugged, which spoke volumes. "You know what, just go wherever," you sighed with a grin on your face. How was he so clueless?

"Will do," he chuckled and began driving towards the highway. You personally hadn't been to any restaurants near the highway for pizza, so you were wondering if this place was new. You figured it would just be some franchise that saw a lease available and took it. However, after a few minutes of silently riding in Negan's car, you noticed that you were wrong.

"When was this built?" You asked in awe of the building before you. It was a building straight out of your Italian fantasies, with lush flowers and vines draped across the roof and down the siding. "It's lovely."

"I think about a year or two ago? Why?"

"Never been here, that's all," you admitted and unfastened your seatbelt before stepping out of the car yet again.

"Jeez, you're a bit impatient tonight, huh?" He teased as he hopped out of the car, too. This time you let him open the restaurant's door for you and you silently thanked him as you walked up to the hostess.

"Good evening, is it just the two of you tonight?" The young woman grinned at you and you nodded. She promptly led the two of you to a secluded booth in the back of the establishment which was much warmer than the outside air, and you appreciatively slid your jacket off of your shoulders.

"This place is really nice, are you sure we should order the pizza?" You grinned, scanning over the menu on the table.

"Oh, I'm sure. Best damn pizza in town," he nodded, shrugging his jacket off as well. "And great wine," he smirked and you rolled your eyes, knowing exactly what he was referencing.

"I'm not drinking any more wine when I'm with you," you shook your head. However, you did notice they had quite the list of wines available, which made you rethink your decision not to have any. "On second thought..."

"Mhm?" He teasingly purred, waiting for you to finish your sentence.

"No, no, I shouldn't," you sighed, thinking everything over. "Ugh."

"You liked the Chardonnay last time you were at my house," he grinned. "I'll order a bottle of that and then you can have however much of that you want; none or all."

"You suck," you laughed, unable to argue with his proposal. "Like, actually."

"What? I'm just trying to make you comfortable." Negan's smile was addictive, and seeing him teasingly push your buttons was inexplicably charming. It was apparent Negan was about to speak, until he was interrupted by the presence of a very attractive waiter.

"Hello, my name is Noah and I will be serving you tonight. For starters, would you like anything to drink?" You looked over at Negan who was clearly waiting for you to order first, so you rolled your eyes with a small grin and looked over the menu.

"Um, I'll just have some iced water, please," you quaintly replied and Negan chuckled under his breath before glancing up at the server.

"Could we get a bottle of Chardonnay for the table?" The waiter quickly nodded and scribbled it down on his pad.

"And would you like any appetizers?"

"I don't need any," you murmured to Negan who seemed to be challenging you.

"If we could get the calamari, that would be great," he smirked.

"Of course," the young waiter answered with a small grin on his face, clearly amused by what was going on between the two of you, and you couldn't help but giggle as well. "Are the two of you ready to order, or do you still need time to look over the menu?"

"Well-" you began until Negan started ordering yet again, which caused you to laugh uproariously.

"We'd like to split a medium pizza with one half just cheese and the other with sausage," he cackled with reddened cheeks; he was clearly trying to hold back his laughter but was failing immensely. Negan proceeded to take your menu and place it on top of his before handing it back to the young man.

"I'll be right back with your drinks, then," he laughed and promptly made his way to the back.

"You're such a dick," you snorted before crossing your arms and leaning back into the cushion of the seat. "Literally just a couple days ago, I told you about my dating pet peeves."

"I know, I know," he snickered and leaned forward, resting his forearms on the edge of the table, clearly trying not to place his elbows on the table, which made you giggle. "Just felt like messing with you, that's all." The two of you couldn't stop smiling at one another, which made you hug yourself and practically reel yourself back to the present.

"This is really nice, thank you."

"You haven't even gotten your damn water yet," he chuckled.

"My god, Negan, I'm being nice to you, just take it." Every time the two of you were in person, you remembered what it was like to feel normal again. You had gone through all the toxic ropes with Liam, and Negan was basically teaching you the standards you should have had from the beginning. After another minute or so, the same young man came back with a tray carrying your water, the bottle of wine, and two wine glasses. Once everything was settled and poured, he informed you that the appetizers would be over in a few and quickly left again. "I see what you're doing, you know," you said as you motioned toward the wine glass before you.

"Yeah? And what's that?" Negan grinned as he took a sip from his glass. You quietly squinted at him which only made him laugh harder. "What?"

"I don't know if you're a genius or just an asshole."

"Maybe a genius asshole?" He wittily suggested, and you shook your head.

"Now I just think you're an asshole."

"Well, my being an asshole makes you look like a bigger one for going out with me. Again, might I add."

"Touché," you groaned before giving in and taking a sip from your glass. "God, that's good."

"Did I make a good call or what?" While you'd never admit it in front of Negan, you loved observing his tenacity when it regarded your relationship. Wait, was that what you were in? A relationship? 

"Maybe," you shrugged with furrowed brows, now caught up in the intricacies of what the two of you were.

"Hey, what the hell's wrong? You shut off all of a sudden," he reached over the table and quickly took your hand. His thumb caressing the back of your palm was ridiculously reassuring. "Thinking about something?"

"No, no, I'm fine," you rocked your head, trying to shake the thoughts from your head but it wasn't working.

"Y/N, you do realize I'm trained in this bullshit as a teacher."

"Ugh, it's nothing. I just had a thought pop up, but I'm over it. I think I'm just starved. Where's that waiter?" Negan wasn't budging. "Seriously, I'm fine." The man still wasn't backing down. "Fine, you know how my brain operates a mile a minute?" He nodded with the sweetest eyes along with the most inviting grin, and he was clearly waiting for you to finish your thought. "Well, I know this is going to put you in an unfair position, but I was wondering if you think we have or could have something, I don't know, relatively serious between us."

"Jeez, and you were planning on just not asking me?" Negan tilted his head, visibly disheartened by the concept of you hiding something like that from him.

"I mean, to be fair, this just popped into my head. Not like I've been sitting on this for forever," you answered, although it was kind of a lie. "But, what would you say?"

"Y/N, you know I admire you." You shrugged, immediately rejecting the obvious. "I know it's a very complicated situation, but I fucking like you. Maybe even too much," he chuckled, but there seemed to be a sadness in his eyes. "However," he began, and your heart sank, "I think you need to figure out what you want." His drooped lips and trembling hand nearly made you tear up, but you shifted your eyes downward in an attempt not to cry in public, which seemed to be successful. "These past couple of weeks, we've been snubbing the obvious, and that was the fact that you clearly found some fucking thing that caused you to stay with him. Even if it's just a bit longer."

"Negan," you sighed, realizing why he hadn't been as flirty as he was even earlier that same day. "I'm going to be real candid with you, okay?" He quickly nodded with an unusual blend of worry and relief in his alluring eyes. "That day I called you about my, uh, missing garment," you whispered, "he came home a different Liam."

"What do you mean?"

"For starters, he's been pretty laid-back, has been talking more often, and he's not the typical 'business douche' that he has been. It's not that I don't _want_ to leave him, he's simply making it harder to do so," you admitted, but you hated how you worded it. "I mean, I still don't trust him. It's just that, he's been sleeping on the sofa and has been giving me just enough space when I need it. He is making an effort to change his ways. How do I justify leaving a reformed man?" Negan seemed hurt, but swiftly shifted his demeanor and gently moved his hand away from yours.

"Y/N, keep in mind the fact that you think he's cheating, has manipulated you into being a hermit, and stole your panties." You quickly shushed him after he said that word way too loud, but he sighed instead. "Taking all of that into consideration, please tell me why the hell you think he doesn't deserve to be dumped."

"I mean, your argument is valid. Everything you said is true," Negan frowned as you disappointedly pondered aloud. "You know I like you too, right? I mean, I wouldn't be talking to you as much as I am if I didn't," you chuckled and Negan grinned, looked down at the table rather than you, which made your chest hurt for a moment. "It's just hard to leave something that's been such a constant in your life, no matter how inconsistent it is, you know?" 

"I know, I know," he nodded, understanding exactly what you meant. "I just think you could be happier out of that house."

"And I know I would be," you admitted. "I just don't know how to approach the situation. I'd need to get some things straightened out before I do anything, like finding a place to live. I mean, I know you offered but-"

"No buts, I'd let you stay," he readily clarified and you sighed, realizing you were pretty much all set to leave. It was just based on how ready you were to leave at this point. It was at this moment that the young man came back with the fried calamari Negan had ordered and the two of you thanked him before he left. However, you weren't really sure what to say to him after such a frank discussion. "Well, the ball's in your court, Y/N," Negan shrugged before popping a piece of the fried seafood into his mouth. "Ugh, you need to try this," he changed the subject, and you gave in.

"Shit, it is good," you laughed, quickly reaching for another one. "I know I joke about lobster, or sushi and caviar, but I don't usually eat seafood. Maybe some shrimp here and there, but I rarely eat anything other than that."

"Really? I love this stuff," he chuckled in response, clearly trying to prevent himself from eating the whole plate. You couldn't help but get chills hearing him say the cursed 'L' word. "Now those kids really have to win Saturday so I can take you to get some fresh lobster."

"Funnily enough, the first time I had lobster, it was on a pizza," you snorted, and Negan quickly joined you.

"That sounds intriguing yet super fucking disgusting at the same time." The two of you managed to get back to your usual bickering and sarcastic comments by the time you received the pizza he had been hyping up for the past hour. "Okay, you ready?" He grinned like a child once you placed a slice on your separate plate the young server had provided. You nodded, not really understanding why he was acting like such a kid.

"Oh," you inadvertently moaned as you pulled away and the cheese only stretched until you pulled the pizza away just enough. "Wow, that's good," you chuckled, covering your mouth as you set the slice back on the plate to reach for your napkin. "I see what you mean now."

"You like it?" He chuckled, waiting for you to proclaim your love for the food before you.

"You're so annoying," you laughed, reaching to have some more. The two of you ate your slices of pizza and had grabbed seconds while gushing about how great the food was and trying to compare it to other pizza places you'd been to in your lives. "For a second date, I'd say this was successful," you teased, but you could tell he was still wary of getting too involved, even though you were pretty much running around with one another behind your boyfriend's back. "I think for the next one, we should go laser tagging." Negan was quiet for a moment, and at first, he was a bit stiff but that ceased when he sat up straight and grinned.

"Thought our third date was Saturday's game," he joked, clearly trying to get over the reservations in his head.

"Ah, that's right," you grinned, taking a sharp sip of your wine before taking another bite of your pizza. "So, how'd you find this place?"

"Oh, honestly I just picked up a pizza to-go after a coworker told me about it."

"They do takeout?"

"Yeah, you wouldn't think so since it's so nice," Negan chuckled before pouring just a sips worth of wine into his glass. "Would you like any more, or are you finished? I shouldn't have any more after this since I'm driving."

"Hm," you smirked and laughed through your nostrils, "sure." He gave you a kind smile before pouring a modest amount into your glass. "Thank you," you replied before taking another sip. "I just figured you would've taken another woman out to a place like this."

"Didn't you go on a 'fake' date with me because I pretty much forgot what it was like to be on one?"

"You've got a point," you laughed, unsure of how you overlooked that. "Well, I simply forgot how out of practice you were since you're so damn charming." Oh dear, it seemed the alcohol-provoked confidence began to awaken.

"You coming onto me?" He smirked, not comprehending the effect he had on you just by doing that.

"Possibly," you shrugged. "I've been wondering how you don't have women just, you know, falling at your feet. Unless you're just naive when they are flirting. Which I doubt, by the way."

"Well, maybe I just haven't told you about all the women just dying to be with me," he leaned forward, obviously teasing yet still managing to push your buttons.

"Oh? Then if you're pushing all these women away, you're clearly caught up on someone." Negan was visibly flustered by your remark which supplied you with a disgusting amount of confidence. Such a disgusting amount of confidence, in fact, that caused you to gently graze your foot against his underneath the table. The look on his face was amusing to you and unfortunately for him, it only gave you more courage. "You know, Negan, you said the ball was in my court, I'm just returning it," you smirked, holding the glass in your hand and placing it against your lips, waiting for him to say or do anything. "You should know how the game works, Coach." At that moment, you could see something in his eyes change, but you weren't entirely sure what it was.

"You're evil," he groaned, leaning forward on one elbow with his chin on his palm. "Christ," he mumbled shutting his eyes and chuckling to himself. "Why would you do this in public?"

"I mean, we are pretty secluded, we're in the back and no one else is here with us. Just figured, 'why not,' you know?" Your giggling only made Negan roll his eyes, but he was obviously frustrated for a different reason, which made you recognize the reason for the shift in his eyes. Underneath the table, your legs were crossed and you leaned back in the cushion of the booth so you could get your foot a bit closer to him. "Although, I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about," you teased, gliding your sneaker up his calf. "I'm innocently enjoying some wine and pizza on a Tuesday night with my friend."

"Ugh," he keened at your usage of 'friend', even though he recognized that's pretty much what the two of you were. Only, it seemed as if the two of you felt there could be some benefits involved. "You have got to stop," he ordered, although his serious tone faltered and a nervous chuckle escaped his lips. You listened and pulled your foot away from him and proceeded to sit up. "Thank god," he sighed in relief, but you leaned forward and placed your glass onto the table before you set your hand on top of his.

"You know, I still remember what it felt like having this hand pull my panties off of my hips," you whispered, delicately caressing your finger against the top of his, and Negan clearing his throat assured you that what you were doing was working. "And having these fingers-" 

"Y/N," he groaned, shaking his head with his eyes tightly shut. Negan was clearly getting frustrated and you laughed, still tracing your finger over his knuckles. 

"Maybe we should get a couple of boxes for all this food," you unexpectedly changed the subject with a cheerful voice which both relieved and irritated Negan. "It's getting late and I'd hate to stay here longer than we need to," you suggestively stated before finishing your glass.

Negan seemed to be trying to calm down after what you had done, so you promptly caught the attention of the waiter and requested the bill as well as a couple of containers for the leftovers, which was a lot. Before you could do so, Negan managed to take it and quietly placed his card in the leather check holder and handed it back to the young man who quickly left your table with a grin on his face. "I liked him, he was nice," you innocently beamed. "I can at least pay the tip," you casually argued but he tilted his head in response.

"No, I've got it," he insisted with a grin so you sighed and pulled your jacket back on. The young server came back with Negan's card along with two containers, and you placed each slice in their respective containers while Negan signed the bill. "Alright, you ready?" Negan asked and you nodded as you pulled your purse over your shoulder and stood up out of the booth. He followed suit and pulled his own jacket on before taking the styrofoam boxes off of the table, which he stiffly yet strategically held in front of his groin. You let him lead you out of the restaurant and he made sure to open each door for you, including for the truck. He jumped in after you buckled yourself in and he set the boxes on the middle console located between your seats.

"You get flustered easily, you know that?" You giggled as he started the engine and he audibly groaned.

"When you pull shit like that in public, yes, yes I do," he deeply chuckled as he pulled out of the lot. He was clearly still trying to get over what you had done, and you felt somewhat guilty, but you were nevertheless amused by his reaction. 

"Well, I was only trying to make it obvious that I would like to pursue this," you gently poked his thigh and stared out the window, not sure what he'd say. You got nervous when he decided not to say anything, not even a lighthearted chuckle or a sigh. Just nothing. "Erm, hey, Negan?" You asked, and he hummed in response, waiting for you to continue. "In all seriousness, I know it's a risk to leave that house, but I think you're a risk worth taking," you admitted, wincing at how cheesy you sounded. Obviously the wine helped you come to this conclusion, but you felt like you were making the right choice. Negan had continually made you feel a certain way since the moment you met, whereas Liam only recently began treating you like a person. And Negan had just reminded you of all the concerns that came up during your relationship with Liam.

Negan remained mute and you weren't sure what that meant until he pulled over into an unoccupied parking lot by the mall. "Why're you parking?" You turned your head back to look at Negan who pulled you in for an unforeseen yet long-desired kiss; his firm fingers tangled in your hair. There was a familiar spark that ignited on your lips which quickly kindled your heart. You were frozen for a moment but once you realized what was happening, you deepened the kiss before pulling away. You weren't sure what to say, especially when Negan started laughing. Loudly.

"That was cheesy as fuck," he admitted and you groaned, facetiously smacking his hands away from you. "What?" He snorted.

"Don't be a dick," you laughed in response before pulling him back into a quick kiss. "I'm so relieved," you admitted, looking into his eyes for comfort. "You had me scared with how quiet you were."

"Oh come on, I literally told you how I feel just an hour ago," Negan scoffed but you shook your head. It was then that you realized just what you got yourself into. "I wasn't really saying much because I'm still, well," he stammered, gesturing to his lap, and you realized what he meant. "Kind of uncomfortable," he rigidly informed.

"Whoops," you shrugged. "Although, I could help you with that," you leaned toward him, looking up at him with big eyes. He was visibly debating what to say in his head. You gently placed your hand on his thigh, but he sighed and pushed your hand away. "What? You don't like car stuff?"

"I do, oh trust me, I do," he puffed which made you raise a brow. "I don't want to ruin this moment, though," he admitted, seizing your hand. 

"It _is_ a good moment, isn't it," you smirked, squeezing his hand. "But now I've got to figure out when and how I'm getting all my shit out without Liam there."

"I could help tomorrow," Negan quickly stated but you shook your head.

"You have work tomorrow, so that's not an option."

"Actually, I was planning on calling in my student-teacher to take over again." You weren't sure how you felt about that; you didn't want to screw up his schedule for your sake. "She's irritating as fuck and so are those goddamn kids. It's fine," he promised. You were still thinking of how you were going to do everything tomorrow. You knew Liam would have work, but earlier that morning he was at home for longer than usual.

"Okay, but if we do this tomorrow, we need to figure out what we're doing with all my stuff. Like, I don't want to storm your bedroom with all of my shit."

"Oh, sweetheart," your heart raced after hearing that nickname again, especially with that addictive rumble that sounded each time he said it. "Hey, I want to show you something," he admitted before shifting from park to drive and began heading back toward the neighborhood with your hand clasped tightly in his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so how do yall feel about this? what do you think negan has planned?  
thank you guys for reading it! ilysm!!!!!!

**Author's Note:**

> feel free to comment on what i did well on and what i should work on :)  
(as long as it's not hateful of course haha)


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